01 Legacy Outback Turbo Engine Swap

[Crashmaxx]

I am looking at buying a cheap 2001 Legacy Outback with a blown headgasket from a friend and I was wondering if it would be worth swapping a turbo motor into it.

I would most likely just fix the headgasket and drive it N/A for now. Could I just swap the shortbock with an EJ205, EJ255, EJ22T, or similar and run it N/A for a while? It would be nice to do with the engine out of the car, but I doubt it will run with a large change in displacement or CR. Would it be possible if I got it tuned with a piggyback or other EM?

So assuming that won't work. I'm guessing a complete motor swap will be about the same as for an RS, meaning it bolts in, but the wiring harnesses need to be merged, and the crossmember notched. Is there a particular motor that would be easier or cheaper to swap into this model?

If I want to make 250 to 300whp I'm guessing a stock turbo motor with Stage 2 mods would be easiest? Any reason I should consider getting a longblock, a rotated turbo setup, and stand alone ECU install all that in the car and get it tuned? I know that would make more power, would there be any other advantage doing it that way?

I guess bottom line, I'm wondering if a swap would cost so much or be such a PITA that I should just buy a newer Legacy GT or Outback XT and mod that a little. Or just buy it, fix the headgasket and keep it N/A for a cheap winter/practical car.

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[PHATsuby]

see link

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2198454

The absolute easiest swap solution would be for you to get a salvage turbo baja with good drivetrain and dash and swap it all over. My guess is this would run you about 5-6k if you do the labor.

The easiest thing is to buy a car that is already turbo and I would recommend that if you don't want the headache of a project(I started in August, projected end date of September, it's now December). If you want the fun of doing a project though and accomplishing a large feat then do a swap.

It really comes down to your personality, I like projects fabrication and solving problems. I also like to be unique and personally like my legacy which typically means I do things that are overly complicated to achieve that goal.

The BL/BP Legacy is a very nice looking car and if you are looking to have a turbo vehicle it's hard to beat the value of the 05 legacy GT as they can be had under 10k.

Hopefully that input helps somewhat. Feel free to ask other questions if you want and I can give more feedback.

Ben

[Crashmaxx]

Thanks for the advice.

That is a really nice build you are doing but it looks like a ton of work. I think it would be easier if you were just swapping the engine and not making other changes. Should be worth it though when you're done. The 6 speed and that cluster will be really nice.

The baja harness makes the wiring a lot easier, but requires taking a lot of extra stuff apart. I think merging the wiring harness at the firewall might be easier overall, though it would require a ton of splicing, which might take a lot more time than I'd hope.

Cost wise, I think $5k or so would be realistic, and still a lot cheaper than buying a legacy or outback with a turbo, but not so cheap to make all that work really worth it.

I think for now I'll only buy it if I can get it super cheap, then I'll fix the headgasket, and just drive it as a winter beater. Maybe in a few years I would really have the time to swap it, but it might not be worth it, so I need to assume that is a pipe dream for now.

If anyone has any other ideas that might be easier or cheaper than the baja turbo swap, I'd still like to hear them.

[ballitch]

I think you should just fix the HG, and then do all the homework on what you need to do to turbo that engine and what obstacles others have run into. Unless you don't care and are fine with driving your miata while you do this.

If you want to build the motor for boost, and still drive it N/A that is also an option. That way you aren't trying to do everything at once. You can break the motor in N/A, and add boost later.

If that sounds more like what you want to do, research what type and brand pistons you will go with, as well as what rods you want to use. Shopping around for used sti and wrx parts will make things a little cheaper as well. There are too many options and paths you could take to explain them all, reading about what others have done and what they ended up with will give you all the info you need.


~Josh~

[Crashmaxx]

Originally Posted by ballitch

I think you should just fix the HG, and then do all the homework on what you need to do to turbo that engine and what obstacles others have run into. Unless you don't care and are fine with driving your miata while you do this.

If you want to build the motor for boost, and still drive it N/A that is also an option. That way you aren't trying to do everything at once. You can break the motor in N/A, and add boost later.

If that sounds more like what you want to do, research what type and brand pistons you will go with, as well as what rods you want to use. Shopping around for used sti and wrx parts will make things a little cheaper as well. There are too many options and paths you could take to explain them all, reading about what others have done and what they ended up with will give you all the info you need.


~Josh~

I don't really need the outback, my miata is fine, but having a more practical car would be nice and if I can get it for practically nothing because it's broken, why not?

OTOH, I don't have the time/garage access to spend months doing a full swap right now, assuming the wiring and details become a nightmare.

But if I could swap the shortblock or longblock while the engine is out and run it N/A for now, that would be awesome. I could install turbo parts and EM later when I have some time.

Could I take say a EJ255 longblock and install the current intake, exhaust, and sensors and get it to run N/A, maybe with some tuning? Or would replacing the internals of the current engine be better?

If that's not realistic, maybe I'll throw a cam and header on it while I have the engine out and otherwise leave it alone. It's no fun to spend a weekend or two pulling the engine and leave it stock, although that is probably the logical thing to do.