Turbo Swap Into NA?

dahoseman · 11-18-2020, 07:41 PM

I didn't see a satisfying answer to this already.
I have a 2005 Outback XT with an STI drivetrain. The body has taken a real beating over the years and a lot of suspension and body parts have been falling apart, so I was already thinking of swapping my drive train into a Forester XT. Several parts crapped out recently, so it's time to abandon XT.

I recently found a similar generation 5sp Forester that had an engine failure, which would be a good 'shell'.

Does anyone know how difficult it would be to swap a turbo drivetrain into a NA vehicle?
Are the wiring harnesses compatible?

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Max Capacity · 11-20-2020, 03:06 PM

Us guys on the legacyGT.com forum have told many new guys over many years, if you want a turbo car, buy a subaru that came with a turbo, there is to much work involved in the swap and you still don't have everything the turbo car came with.

snow_bound26 · 11-20-2020, 04:15 PM

There's many things to consider here. For one, Subaru made changes to the fueling system between 05/06 depending on which model you're looking at. There's the issues or wiring when dealing with single vs dual AVCS (depending on what year XT you have), finding the proper front subframe for the car you're swapping it into, differences in axle/driveshaft length between the outback and forester, etc. As stated, it's easier to buy a chassis that was originally a turbo model and swap everything in. It's not hard to find one with a blown engine and go from there.

11-18-2020, 07:41 PM	#1
dahoseman Scooby Newbie Member#: 330468 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: A Rolling Stone Vehicle: 1932 Ford Model A Black	Turbo Swap Into NA? I didn't see a satisfying answer to this already. I have a 2005 Outback XT with an STI drivetrain. The body has taken a real beating over the years and a lot of suspension and body parts have been falling apart, so I was already thinking of swapping my drive train into a Forester XT. Several parts crapped out recently, so it's time to abandon XT. I recently found a similar generation 5sp Forester that had an engine failure, which would be a good 'shell'. Does anyone know how difficult it would be to swap a turbo drivetrain into a NA vehicle? Are the wiring harnesses compatible? * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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11-20-2020, 03:06 PM	#2
Max Capacity Scooby Specialist Member#: 149347 Join Date: May 2007 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: Tolland, CT Vehicle: 05 LGT,09 SpecB Black/silver	Us guys on the legacyGT.com forum have told many new guys over many years, if you want a turbo car, buy a subaru that came with a turbo, there is to much work involved in the swap and you still don't have everything the turbo car came with.

11-20-2020, 04:15 PM	#3
snow_bound26 Scooby Specialist Member#: 395793 Join Date: Jul 2014 Chapter/Region: AKIC Location: Split time between SLC and Lak Vehicle: 2005 92x Aero Beige	There's many things to consider here. For one, Subaru made changes to the fueling system between 05/06 depending on which model you're looking at. There's the issues or wiring when dealing with single vs dual AVCS (depending on what year XT you have), finding the proper front subframe for the car you're swapping it into, differences in axle/driveshaft length between the outback and forester, etc. As stated, it's easier to buy a chassis that was originally a turbo model and swap everything in. It's not hard to find one with a blown engine and go from there.