Wanna keep the '93 - how to improve?

[thaxman]

Had my "L" 4AET since '99, & I am waiting for something to go out on it (182K on the clock now). I figure at that point, my wife gets my Accord EX, I drive the Ram & put this one in the OR for major heart surgury. Then it becomes MY car!
This is a pretty basic L, just the option w/cruise, but I have become spoiled with leather & all sorts of flagship packages ppn other cars I've had, so what could I do to this thing for about $4 grand? I was thinking a N/A modern 174 hp 2.5 & 5sp. Turbo would be cool, too, but I want better gearing so that when I road trip, I won't be cruising @ 3500 rpm at 85 mph. Most V6 cars cruise around 2500 rpm, I think because of better torque curves. Maybe a turbo w/an H6 tranny? After all, any torque increase over the stock 130 is going to move this 2900 lb lightweight. The L is FWD OE, but I would like to power the back 2 as well. Would the standard Gen1 drivetrain be OK, or is there a beefier turbo setup?

Basically, I want over 160 hp & 170 lbs torque with the most simple hookup to a N/A EJ22 auto body possible.

I first posted this at Legacy GT, but their opinion is to dump this & go newer. Personally, I don't want the added 400-600lbs, and I already have a rust-free AZ car in good shape.

Any suggestions from all the mod xprts out there?
Thanks in advance

[tris91ricer]

They're only telling you to dump the car for something else because while you CAN make your car awd, its a pain in the ass, and you basically need an entire parts car to do it. So, we suggest you strongly reconsider your plan.

dropping a 2.5 in would be great! I don't forsee your tranny lasting too long, especially since its an AT, though. Subaru automatics for the 90-94 range SUCK. They simply SUCK for any kind of real driving. ie- anything fast or exciting.

There are beefier turbo trannies, but they're all AWD. Ranging anywhere from 3.9 to 4.444.

As far as the cruising at 85 @3500rpm --what's the major malfunction? I'm gonna guess you're used to bigger displacement domestics that REDLINE at 5k.
Being anywhere from 35-4500rpm going over 80 is reasonable. Most of us drive our cars between 3k and 5k, sometimes higher. If your concern is mileage, shift into 5th.
Unlike domestics, our trannies don't necessarily set the tone for where the engine makes its power. And you won't be fitting an h6 tranny (not that different from any other tranny coupled with an EJ series engine anyway) if you don't go AWD.

Seriously look at trading yours and some cash for an awd model if you're looking to take the mods seriously, because you're gonna want to save your wrenching energy for making the car fun, not getting it up to snuff.

Checkout Josh's writeup, though --it'll give you an idea of what all is involved in making the car awd and turbo. Great info.
http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/swap/swap.html

[internetautomart]

my .02
I picked up my current AWD N/A A/t for less than 1k here in chicago and the body isn't bad by chicago standards.
I do think that either getting a donor car (think rusted out POS from up here) or getting a an AWD to start with are better options than trying to convert. I looked into it a few times, but never did convert

[tris91ricer]

Here's a thought:
I picked up my sedan for $200 out of my friend's yard. It was AT, awd. The only thing wrong was a bad case of mold in the trunk and the motor threw a rod.
I put the motor from my other legacy in it, and drove away!
(for about 90mi or so, until I ran it dry of tranny fluid and burned the damn thing.)
But the engine swap wasn't bad and it all went along from there.
Explore some options, fella.

[Legacy777]

If you're mechanically inclined, and can find a donor car for cheap, the swap isn't too bad. However you mention the gearing issue....and the turbo tranny is really your only option, which increases costs.

The 3.7 gearing in the FWD isn't too bad. The 3.90 is ok. I don't particularly care for the 4.11 gearing on the freeway.

[tris91ricer]

I don't get that, though. . . What's big issue with cruising freeway speeds on shorter gears?

[internetautomart]

I don't get that, though. . . What's big issue with cruising freeway speeds on shorter gears?

the numerically higher the gear the more times it has to turn per mile. the more turns per mile the more gas used.

[tris91ricer]

In all of my subies, and my friends', the gas gauge goes up when we accelerate.

[Legacy777]

Your subies are weird

Plus, the extra NVH from the higer engine revs gets annoying. As I've gotten older, I want a car that isn't noisy. It's weird that my legacy is actually quieter then my impreza at freeway speeds....which is odd with all the sti bushings and suspension setup I have.....