STI Swap

[92BlackBeauty]

So I'm thinking instead of rebuilding my legacy, maybe it's worth it to swap an STI engine into it.

Any reasons why this would not work on a 92 legacy turbo?
Also, what is the engine code on a stock STI?
My buddy's dad just smashed up his STI real bad and I might take his engine off his hands

Come on how sweet would this be if it works?

Input is much appreciated
Thanks,
Brad

[93forestpearl]

STi engine code- ej257

Mechanically, its an easy swap. Electrically, its a nightmare. The engine harnesses in subarus are integrated with the main harness. This means you have to pull the wiring harnesses out of both cars from the engine bay to the fuel pump. Therefore you would be removing the the whole dash and damn near everything from inside both cars. Then you would have the joy of unwrapping all the tape from both harnesses, cutting and splicing wires, swapping pins and connectors, you get the idea. I think it is I-speed in california that does these swaps, and it takes their guy 15-20 hours with the harnesses out of the cars. Thats just for the wiring

I thought about going with a jdm ej20 out of a wrx because they can be had for $650 from nippon motors and can make 280-300hp cheaper than the ej22t, but the wiring nightmare scared me away. Thats why I have an ej22t sitting in my garage

Personally, if I was in your position, I'd rebuild your motor with a nice turbo in mind with the supporting mods (intercooler, tuning, exhast etc,). Instead of buying the motor from him, I'd get the tranny, as I've yet to hear of anyone breaking the 6mt from too much power. The 5mt wasn't designed with over 200-250hp in mind. You'd need the rear end also to match the tranny, but who would mind a helical front diff(shuretrack for '04), DCCD, clutch-type rear, and basically the baddest AWD driveline on the market? The 6mt goes for about $5k buy itself without any linkage, shafts, rear diff, etc.

Keep in mind this is completely my opinion. If I'm wrong about anything please correct me.


- Dan

[evolutionmovement]

EJ2507 is the engine code. It fits. Get the whole drivetrain.

Steve

[azn2nr]

wiring is the biggest bitch. espcialy since the sti has drive by wire and dccd. chances are the install will cost more than the motor itself

[93forestpearl]

I think if you got the whole driveline and all the wiring, it wouldn't be too bad. Strip out all the old, and lay in the new. Probably still be alot of work though.

[91White-T]

I may be wrong, but won't a custom length driveshaft be needed also?

[THAWA]

Nope, all 4eat's and 6mt's for new gen subarus are the same length, The 5mt's are shorter. Depending on which trans he has currently he may need a different one, but nothing custom.

[92BlackBeauty]

See this is where I have a nice little advantage...my dad is a wiring genius. He does all the wiring and electronics/engine management work for the edmonton police force.
I think I might just try to make this work.
I'm not sure which tranny I am running right now as I am new to subaru's....I know it came stock on my 92 legacy?
ej22t

[evolutionmovement]

Is it manual or auto? Those are the only options. Either way, 6MT kicks ass. That alone is worth it IMO. Throwing the DCCD to full rear bias and kicking it up the street sideways ... priceless.

Steve

[92BlackBeauty]

wow that dccd sounds sweet....anyways I have the 5 speed transmission, would there be any way to mesh the EJ2507 to my transmission? If not, really what aftermarket turbo options or any other performance mods are out there for my legacy? If I bore it out in the course of rebuilding it , what pistons are good for the job? will I need new injectors?
Any help again is appreciated.
Also, will a VF39 make significant power gains on my EJ22t?

[evolutionmovement]

The VF39, I would think, would be a little laggy on the 2.2 as it's sized for the 2.5. Stock pistons can handle a lot. As always, though, correct tuning helps everything out. I'd rather put piston money towards good engine mgt. The block will mate to the tranny, but there's two holes that need to be threaded or something like that, I know it's been mentioned. As for the injectors, you'll have to do some research on here.

Steve

[azn2nr]

vf39 kicks ass. theres alot of fab involved though. including a 90degree inlet full pcv vlave redo and intercooler issues.

vf39 spools quick (slower than stock but still quick) and pulls hard.

i had one on for about a week. its for sale in the shed

[93forestpearl]

I'd have to agree with evolutionmovement. If you can, get the whole driveline. There are endless tuning options with the STi engine. You're not gonna break the 6mt, and having front and rear lsd's would be awsome. Since you said your dad is a wiring genious, I'd go for it.

[THAWA]

Like 93fp said, the first 5 of the engine code is EJ257 not EJ2507

There's nothing that needs to be retapped or threaded for the engine to mate to the transmission. You're just going to have extra holes on the engine that don't go to anything on the transmission. It will be no worse or better than your current setup.

[92BlackBeauty]

You are saying that mating an EJ257 to my 5mt will work, but there will be no extra power/ significant gains to doing this swap?

[evolutionmovement]

You can get a 2.2 to the same level as the STI. I'd do the whole deal and get 300/300 done and paid for on something essentially brand new.

Steve

[THAWA]

That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying the mating between your engine and trans with the swap will be the same as it is now. You dont need to worry about the mating aspect..

[92BlackBeauty]

You can get a 2.2 to the same level as the STI. I'd do the whole deal and get 300/300 done and paid for on something essentially brand new.

So there are enough performance parts out there for my 2.2 to be pushing 300/300?

I cannot seem to find any aftermarket mods for my legacy, but I will probably just be buying a brand new short block from a dealership and bolting on the heads from mine. Get everything nice and honed and true.

Are there links to performance companies on this site?

[THAWA]

You're not going to find much if anything specifically for our cars that is performance oriented in this country.

[92BlackBeauty]

This is really discouraging, if not hopeless.
I have seen others on this site with performance modded legacies, why can I not find anything?
Damn japan and all its part-filled glory...

[THAWA]

because they're using parts from other cars.

[evolutionmovement]

I'd go for a JY block if you want a short block. Much cheaper (possibly easier to find) and there's not much in it with a new one. I can almost guarantee all crosshatching in the cylinders will be intact and the bottom end fine if the engine ran well before it was pulled.

Steve

[BAC5.2]

You can get a 2.2 to the same level as the STI. I'd do the whole deal and get 300/300 done and paid for on something essentially brand new.

So there are enough performance parts out there for my 2.2 to be pushing 300/300?

Yep. I'm pretty much there.

[NICO]

i murder STIs even moded ones, now wiat till i put my impreza L on the road with my legacy turbo motor in it, can you say 900lbs less weight, i was thinking 10 or 9 + one crazy super touring car an i dry it every day 7500000ks and still PURRs better then a ferrari.

about the swap its not tuff but you got to have everything meaning the hole sti car that way you wont get stuck.