Ej22t build n swap into 96 legacy ls

So I got my ej22t last week for $350. It's got 90k on it and came with engine harness, turbo etc., all of the exhaust minus muffler pretty much everything.

 

I'm not looking for crazy power but do want some and this is my plan so far

 

Basically wanna refresh the motor but w little power gains want to keep reliability

 

Wiseco std pistons I'm told go w je but never had bad experience w wiseco

Manley rods

King bearings

New oem subi crank??? Is there a better option for the ill power I want

Pnp heads

New oem valves etc.

Cams??? Not sure what to do yet opinions please

Oem gaskets and seals

Wrx turbo

Tmic

Engine management was thinking aem if needed

 

And few other odds n ends

 

 

I also plan on doin brake upgrade so opinions on that as well. I have a 02 wrx available to me for whatever parts I need. I'm never on the highway and roads around me are kinda rough and hilly and curvy everything a Subaru loves.

 

I have strut bars and love em. They are cheap eBay Junk but they make a difference

 

I have 3 different sets of wheels currently running my 17" pick n pull special w oem 2.5i center caps. Don't know brand but they're gold now and look good. They are mated w Dunlop direza digityre z1*. Went to get a cup holder n came home w wheels lol.

 

Did a 5mt swap love it.

 

all opinions are needed and corrections. I will post pics as I go. Bare with me this is my first Subaru build. Former Honda guy haha own both love both what can I say. They both have their qualities

Not sure what you have now but going further with the suspension upgrades makes a huge difference in the way the car feels. Even just replacing worn out ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.

 

I would get all of that ironed out first before throwing all your money into the engine. Slop eats away all that power. Throw on the brakes from the WRX at least as a start. The stock brakes wouldn't even be good if you were keeping the stock motor. The WRX brakes require a 16"+ rim or a certain 15" RS wheel, fyi.

 

The WRX seats will fit too, big upgrade imo. They sit a couple inches higher.

What are your power goals?

 

General consensus is the stock 22T crank is good for 300hp. Otherwise you can use a STi crank but it will need to be machined to match the thrust bearing, or the block can be machined to fit the STi crank.

 

Manley makes a dual thrust billet crank but it is about $1600.

 

The stock rods and pistons are pretty good. I cracked open one of my 22Ts with 160k and the bearings looked brand new. STi rods are pretty cheap and a good way to go if you want to save $$$.

 

Delta Cams can grind your cams down for some more power but your idle may be a little rougher.

 

If you are going standalone you can make some pretty good power just from the stock longblock, upwards of 220-240ish.

not near or over 300hp lol. wanna say around little more then stock. refresh the motor and minor upgrades.

 

def doin suspension this winter. opinions needed. not trying to make a track car but do want handling upgrades while not losing too much ride quality.(i live in new york we have the worst roads)

 

the sti rods work w 22t crank,etc.

 

i am really thinking about goin stand alone that way i can have good reliable tune. ive ran aem before but not on a subi

 

i wanna do the seat swap to

 

i still need to get all my ducks in a row for the swap itself as well, as in what needs to be changed over from the 22e to 22t, and getting it to run. i think the biggest pain is gonna be the cross member.

 

i got wrx tmic and y pipe for $25 today couldnt pass it up.

The crossmember isn't a big deal if you just cut a notch in it, then you won't have to source one from an older turbo leggy. Plenty of others have done it with no issues so I wouldn't worry about structural issues. You could always weld some reinforcement plates or something.

 

What year wrx tmic did you get? An '02 tmic will require shaving the throttle body and/or bashing in the firewall a bit to get it to fit. The better alternative is to get an 06 wrx tmic or a Forester XT tmic. It is a direct fit with no other mods required, and the flange for the BOV is at an angle which makes things easy. There are some great threads on bbslegacycentral as to how to install the tmic on a 22T. You will have to modify the y-pipe. Most just ditch the stock wrx y pipe and make one out of silicon hoses.

 

For your power goals I would say go ahead and just keep the stock crank as long as the clearances are still acceptable. That's my plan at the moment.

 

I'd love to learn how to use a standalone but I already have the wrx ecu and wiring harness. If you go that route please do a full writeup for the rest of us. I have plans to stuff a 20g in a Brat someday, lol.

I got her torn down to just block tonight. You were right about these bottom ends being good cuz there isn't even any carbon build up on pistons and cylinder walls are perfect. I've pulled motors apart way less miles then 90k and didn't even look nearly as clean as this beast. Tomorrow will be the rest of bottom end n then off to my machine guy down the road to clean n check heads, Pnp, check n clean block, n order some parts while I wait.

 

Yea I did some research I got Tmic from06 and y pipe came w it so I'll cut it up and make it work lol. For 25$ who cares right.

 

I haven't decided yet on crank n rods but I got time. The more research n reading specs i do the harder it is to decide. Still gotta do some body work to.

 

If I go stand alone I'll def do full write up.

i got my heads back today and he had to shave em the slightest not cuz they were warped but cuz they corrosion spots where the coolant ports are bigger on the block and on heads they have 2 small ports that line up w them. can i make the heads match the block so they dont have these issues later on again. the head side ports both lead to same spot. dunno why subaru didnt just match the holes with block from factory? maybe cost, strength, didnt seem like it had to be done then cuz they would never see it again?

 

will the super slight amount amount of shaving in return mess w my clearances? using a oem hg btw

 

oh and i want to upgrade my oil separator plate to metal, are they all metal now or is there a specific model, year,etc. that i need to get it from

I had my heads decked as well when I did the HGs on my 22T and I used OEM HGs and had no problems so I wouldn't worry about clearances.

 

The oil separator plates are all the same so just get the current metal one and you will be fine. I used permatex ultra gray to seal it up.

ultra grey, i need stocks lol. that and hondabond if you have never used it you should try it. i had a header on my truck and got it to hot, warped the flange a little bit and it kept blowing gaskets so used that hondabond and sealed her for the next 3 years i owned it. **** is crazy.

 

nice yea i figured as much for clearances oem hg is pretty thick.

This is a engine out of the first gen Legacy right? All the cranks can do is 300 hp?

They could probably do more, but they don't have as good as oiling capacity as newer cranks. I asked around and that is what has been suggested to me by some built motor experts. The consensus is 300 hp is a "safe" level to reach with a phase 1 crank and if one wants to go beyond that it is recommended to get an STi crank and either machine the crank to fit the #3 thrust or machine the block to accept the #5 thrust of the STi crank. As with any advice take it with a grain of salt.

 

If money is no object then I would get a dual thrust Manley billet crank but that will set you back $1600. But with one of those you could do a stroker build and get 500+!!!

Yea I've asked a few people around me w 22t's and 22t hybrids and they say 300 crank is safe all day. Or do what monkey said and sti crank w machining.

 

Hg kit, head studs should be delivered tomorrow, pistons etc. Monday or tues, and prolly gonna order rods n bearings next week. Thinking about saving some money n re using my crank. Think it will be ok or just get new crank

I don't quite understand the oil capacity in the crank. Cranks can be modified to increase the oil galleries for better flow but I've haven't heard the term capacity when talking crankshafts internally.

the 22t is in and running. just working the little devils out now.

 

the voltage for tps is 0.5v closed throttle right.took apart tb cuz i gasket matched throttle body and intake manifold, n even did a light pnp on throttle body and got new tps.

 

thank you blankdeluxe for all your help.

 

oh yea and ill post pics later

The 22t beast

Why did it load like that lol ill try fixing it