newb questions

hiroshima1320 · 05-29-2010, 12:26 PM

ok i've searched and seached and can't find the answers I'm looking for. i have a 95 legacy L 5spd and I am interested in doing a swap. what is the most powerful swap for the money that is the least complicated wiring adaptation. it's my daily driver and i need it to be reliable and to be done quickly. i' looking for about 250-300whp if possible. i really dont want to have to swap the trans and rear diff if I can get away reliably without doing so. i'm new to subaru but not to high performance cars. my last car was a small block chevy powered 86 rx7 with a t56. plus a few decent hondas and an ls1 240sx.

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

fibuz · 05-29-2010, 01:26 PM

ej20 out of a wrx is probably your best bet. ej25 out of an sti if you're feeling frisky.

Jonathan · 05-29-2010, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fibuz

An EJ20 out of a WRX is probably your best bet. Maybe an EJ25 out of an STI if you're feeling frisky.

He got a STOCK 1995 "L" that might be putting out a tad over 80 Horsepower at the wheels... just how long is his tranny going to last with one of those mills ?

I am thinking he might be better off looking at a stock Phase I N/A EJ25 from a '96-99 Legacy with new cylinder head gaskets, timing belt and water pump. This should be a simple bolt on, with no swap drama.... not a whole lot faster... and how reliable it might be long term is a subject for debate... but for a daily driver it should be just fine for a few years.

fibuz · 05-29-2010, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan

He got a STOCK 1995 "L" that might be putting out a tad over 80 Horsepower at the wheels... just how long is his tranny going to last with one of those mills ?

I am thinking he might be better off looking at a stock Phase I N/A EJ25 from a '96-99 Legacy with new cylinder head gaskets, timing belt and water pump. This should be a simple bolt on, with no swap drama.... not a whole lot faster... and how reliable it might be long term is a subject for debate... but for a daily driver it should be just fine for a few years.

Not sure how he's going to get 250-300WHP on a NA subaru motor. As long as he doesn't drive like an asshat, the tranny should be fine for a while. Plenty of the RS guy's do a WRX swap without the tranny. Eventually everything breaks, but by then maybe he'll have the cash to rebuild with RA gears or something.

Realistically, not all of the criteria provided by the OP works together...without gobs of cash.

Zues Marine · 05-29-2010, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan

He got a STOCK 1995 "L" that might be putting out a tad over 80 Horsepower at the wheels...

what?!!? i dyno d my 95 L (2.2) stock and i put up around 130awhp

then i swapped in the ej25de and got 164awhp

hiroshima1320 · 06-01-2010, 03:21 PM

read dont want to to have to swap tranny and diff. what year wrx should i look for for a swap? also i saw that they made a twin turbo legacy the same year as mine and i can get one shipped for about $1000 with a cut harness, no ecu, no tranny, no diff, and no axles. they also said they would be getting some v5 front clips with rear diff for around $4000. the $1000 sounds a lot more reasonable and adaptable.

fibuz · 06-01-2010, 11:36 PM

Don't bother with the twin-turbo swap. it's not easy.

hiroshima1320 · 06-03-2010, 01:15 PM

that's what i thought. ok what year wrx should i look for and how much should i look to pay???

sqc151 · 06-04-2010, 10:00 AM

best bet and the cheaper way would be to get an 02-03 wrx engine. some supporting mods and an open source tune will more than satisfy ur needs. im assuming since u have a 95 legacy that its obdII. if u have a 5mt u should be ok with it. its probly stronger than the 02-03 tranny anyway.

currystyle · 06-04-2010, 04:06 PM

If it's a 1995 it most likely will actually be OBDI if it's anything like my 1995 Toyota and the 1995 Nissan 240SX's. Locally in my area just the motor from an 02-03 WRX goes for about $3,000 from the local j-yards. In my research there doesn't seem to be any such thing as a cheap swap for a Subaru.

If you check out www.ridesafely.com they have a lot of totalled Subarus on the cheap. It looks like some sort of insurance auction site. Dunno if you have to have any special credentials to buy from there or not, but it warrants further investigation I think.

GTWagon_Phreak · 06-04-2010, 04:25 PM

My $0.02: buy a car that is actually fast.

Rule of thumb is that you can have a car that is fast, cheap, or reliable; but you can only pick 2 of those

currystyle · 06-04-2010, 04:37 PM

^ That takes all the fun out of it though. Anyone can buy a fast car.

You are probably right though, for the fact that he seems to be wanting to do this on the cheap he would be much better off to find something decently quick that he likes and buy it instead of trying to swap this one. Motor swaps on daily drivers when you have no back up mode of transport are never a good idea.

hiroshima1320 · 06-09-2010, 08:47 AM

yea i think thats whats gonna happen. buy either a wrx or just buy a wrecked sti and fix that... putt putt it is for the time being. unless maybe a lgt swap would be worth it.

05-29-2010, 12:26 PM	#1
hiroshima1320 Scooby Newbie Member#: 247841 Join Date: May 2010 Vehicle: 1995 Legacy L Green	newb questions ok i've searched and seached and can't find the answers I'm looking for. i have a 95 legacy L 5spd and I am interested in doing a swap. what is the most powerful swap for the money that is the least complicated wiring adaptation. it's my daily driver and i need it to be reliable and to be done quickly. i' looking for about 250-300whp if possible. i really dont want to have to swap the trans and rear diff if I can get away reliably without doing so. i'm new to subaru but not to high performance cars. my last car was a small block chevy powered 86 rx7 with a t56. plus a few decent hondas and an ls1 240sx. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
not a newb but a newb question about radiator caps	yo14jman	Newbies & FAQs	10	02-19-2009 10:14 AM
Newb with a newb question...	dcon	Newbies & FAQs	1	11-01-2007 07:21 PM
Newb question about Touring races...	andywrx	Motorsports	7	01-17-2002 12:25 PM
newb question about kartboy SS	Wrx0R	Newbies & FAQs	6	01-13-2002 05:10 PM
Couple newb questions.	Damian	Newbies & FAQs	9	01-21-2001 11:09 AM

05-29-2010, 01:26 PM	#2
fibuz Scooby Specialist Member#: 53410 Join Date: Jan 2004 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: Tucson, AZ / Port Angeles, WA Vehicle: BE-> GD->GR->SG->BL WAawd.org	ej20 out of a wrx is probably your best bet. ej25 out of an sti if you're feeling frisky.

06-01-2010, 03:21 PM	#6
hiroshima1320 Scooby Newbie Member#: 247841 Join Date: May 2010 Vehicle: 1995 Legacy L Green	read dont want to to have to swap tranny and diff. what year wrx should i look for for a swap? also i saw that they made a twin turbo legacy the same year as mine and i can get one shipped for about $1000 with a cut harness, no ecu, no tranny, no diff, and no axles. they also said they would be getting some v5 front clips with rear diff for around $4000. the $1000 sounds a lot more reasonable and adaptable.

06-01-2010, 11:36 PM	#7
fibuz Scooby Specialist Member#: 53410 Join Date: Jan 2004 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: Tucson, AZ / Port Angeles, WA Vehicle: BE-> GD->GR->SG->BL WAawd.org	Don't bother with the twin-turbo swap. it's not easy.

06-03-2010, 01:15 PM	#8
hiroshima1320 Scooby Newbie Member#: 247841 Join Date: May 2010 Vehicle: 1995 Legacy L Green	that's what i thought. ok what year wrx should i look for and how much should i look to pay???

06-04-2010, 10:00 AM	#9
sqc151 Scooby Specialist Member#: 51432 Join Date: Dec 2003 Chapter/Region: Tri-State	best bet and the cheaper way would be to get an 02-03 wrx engine. some supporting mods and an open source tune will more than satisfy ur needs. im assuming since u have a 95 legacy that its obdII. if u have a 5mt u should be ok with it. its probly stronger than the 02-03 tranny anyway.

06-04-2010, 04:06 PM	#10
currystyle Scooby Newbie Member#: 201621 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern KY Vehicle: 96 Legacy GT Wagon white	If it's a 1995 it most likely will actually be OBDI if it's anything like my 1995 Toyota and the 1995 Nissan 240SX's. Locally in my area just the motor from an 02-03 WRX goes for about $3,000 from the local j-yards. In my research there doesn't seem to be any such thing as a cheap swap for a Subaru. If you check out www.ridesafely.com they have a lot of totalled Subarus on the cheap. It looks like some sort of insurance auction site. Dunno if you have to have any special credentials to buy from there or not, but it warrants further investigation I think.

06-04-2010, 04:25 PM	#11
GTWagon_Phreak Scooby Specialist Member#: 95645 Join Date: Sep 2005 Chapter/Region: South East Location: South FL Vehicle: 2006 LGT Stg2 5MT 97 LegacyGT Wagon 4EAT	My $0.02: buy a car that is actually fast. Rule of thumb is that you can have a car that is fast, cheap, or reliable; but you can only pick 2 of those

06-04-2010, 04:37 PM	#12
currystyle Scooby Newbie Member#: 201621 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern KY Vehicle: 96 Legacy GT Wagon white	^ That takes all the fun out of it though. Anyone can buy a fast car. You are probably right though, for the fact that he seems to be wanting to do this on the cheap he would be much better off to find something decently quick that he likes and buy it instead of trying to swap this one. Motor swaps on daily drivers when you have no back up mode of transport are never a good idea.

06-09-2010, 08:47 AM	#13
hiroshima1320 Scooby Newbie Member#: 247841 Join Date: May 2010 Vehicle: 1995 Legacy L Green	yea i think thats whats gonna happen. buy either a wrx or just buy a wrecked sti and fix that... putt putt it is for the time being. unless maybe a lgt swap would be worth it.