legacycentral bbs

Hey everybody. I have not posted very much but i read a lot on this forum. I have 2 Subaru's... I have a 92 Subaru Legacy AWD and i have a 91 Turbo Legacy SS which is AT unfortunately. I basically bought the SS just to use the EJ22T and build it up a bit and swap it into my super sleeper wagon. I would like to build it in two phases... A kinda stage one, which in my eyes would be something like totally rebuilt Long Block with ACL Race bearings (main and rods) ported stock sohc heads, port matched intake manifold, ported TB, ported exhaust manifolds, TD04, Huge Front Mount, Revtronix Stage 2 Chip, 440 WRX Injectors, JECS maf, AEM digital wideband controller and gauge, cold air intake, MBC... Please let me know if this seems like a legitimate setup and what i may be missing? Or if its a wrong combo? The FMIC, and all port work as well as Up Pipe, Mid Pipe, And Full 3" turbo back exhaust will be all fabricated by me. Regarding the FMIC and CAI and 3" Turbo back exhaust i later intend to offer it to the community if there is enough interest for a very reasonable price. Also all portwork is done by me. ( If someone can tell me how to post pictures i will include some sneak peeks of the FMIC setup and CAI and some of my port work )
I'd really appreciate anyone's input regarding my idea of the first stage setup...

As for the stage two version of the motor I plan on then using The VF39 and maybe something with a lil more "UMF" down the line. Bigger intercooler pipe from 2" on the TD04 to 2.25. Full DOHC Conversion. Also ported. STI stock injectors or bigger obviously down the line when i go bigger "UMF" turbo.... Also when i do the STI or larger turbo i will do a rotated setup so all my IC lines and CAI will be with less aggressive and less restrictive bends. Now here is where it gets much more complicated for me. I have 98 Legacy 2.5 DOHC Heads, I have 05 WRX DOHC Heads, I will Get 2.5 DOHC STI heads if need be. Which is my best bet? What wire harness do i have to or should i use for best tune ability? Which ECU should i use? Which Intake manifold should i use? What software is best for me to use? I'm really only after 350 awhp MAX. The car is entirely gutted so i think it should be more then fun with 350 awhp and Capable to drift quite well in the rain which is all i really want it to do... Also at the time of phase 2 taking place i will do a full STI swap in terms of drivetrain. I really want more details if people have them available in terms of which heads i should use and why. Benefits of which head and what cams can be ran and other tune-ability factors... I can always make some crazy intake manifold with velocity stacks and what not if the STI intake manifold or regular 2.5 intake mani is not good enough... I thank you in advance for any helpful input.
Also I'm trying to kinda keep costs down as i already have tons of other car projects going on and i just want this thing to be pretty reliable and really fun... Thanks again in advance.

- Martin

Martin,

With a goal of 350 whp, you're looking at around 400 chp. If that is truly your goal, I personally wouldn't waste my time on the ej22t motor. Not saying it can't be done, but you will need do a lot more to get there, compared to if you started with a stock STi motor. 300 chp on the EJ22t is very doable, but expect to spend some money.

With power levels like what you're talking about, you can ditch the stock ECU, and even if you did a full STi swap, including ECU, I'd also probably look at other engine management. Think stand alone ECU, especially if you decide to go the EJ22t route. You'll need a much bigger turbo and injectors. The TD05-16G is good for about 300 chp or so. Same with injectors...the 550's are just barely good for 300 chp, 700-800 cc's is probably what you would need to run to support the kind of hp you are interested in.

I know you mentioned swapping the STi drivetrain....but I'll emphasize, again with the power you're wanting to run, the stock parts may not be up to the task for extended use.

Regarding the heads, you should use turbo heads, but the newer heads have issues with the EJ22t block in terms of compression ratio and what not. They're not ideal. Which is again, one of the reasons I'd suggest going with an STi motor from the start.

Also, I would suggest modifying your staged approach. Do all the motor work up front. Get it as tweaked out as you are wanting so you don't have to tear back into it. You can alter stuff like injectors and turbo in stages as that's relatively easy and can grow with power ranges and engine management if you decide that later.

Not sure if I answered all your questions, but hopefully it gave you some stuff to think about.