legacy sti swap

Hey guys, im new to the whole forum scene and honestly the whole subaru scene in general. I recently got my hands on a 99 legacy and am hoping to succesfully do a full sti swap transmission engine brakes etc. I was wondering if someone might be able to assist me as far as knowledge is concerned. Such as problems commonly encountered with a project like this because there is bound to be many for a do it your selfer (im not a mechanic by any means ) so any help would be greatly appreciated

You can start by reading the turbo engine sticky on the top of the page.

That sticky is as helpful as it gets! Most of the time when I've read swap threads on other forums people get lost in all the wiring or they build up the motor internally before the swap for.more HP, put it in and have a knock or something and have to re pull the motor... each swap will be different... my only true advice is triple check EVERYTHING so that way you won't have to realize you did something wrong after its all said and done. And wiring WILL be a pain. Have you ever done a swap into any.kind of vehical?

No, I have never done anything like this ive only had my license since the fall and this is my first car i have a few friends who are ford techs and others that are just skilled mechanics so im looking towards them for some help as well but i figured this would be the best spot

Do you already have the STi goodies to go in?

Ok... not trying to be hostile.. I love your enthusiasm. But I'm 18... and I couldnt even trust myself with the amount of power an sti puts out.. let alone someone who's only had a license for a few months. In my personal opinion... take the EJ25 in your gt.. and exhaust, headers, & a different intake and do some extreme suspension work, like coilovers or 03 wrx struts, different sway bars, drilled and slotted rotor etc etc. After a while after you've had some experience with your car you can decide whether or not you want to swap or just get a newer already turboed legacy. BUT! For a first timer my recomendation on a swap would be the EJ22T out of a 1st Gen legacy super sedan. Very easy motor to build since its a closed deck motor. I'm sure you know all about that monkey^

Another bonus about the ej22t swap for someone like you(newer drive) is a don't believe they have alot of power at factory but you still get the whole Turbo feel. You can build it up as you go and just get used to it before you start making a whole bunch.of power. And the when you feel like you're ready to move up to sti level you'll pry be able to.make a little money back I.believe that motor is a pretty valuable motor? Correct me if I'm wrong guys...

Pretty much. It could have been summed up in your first post well enough.

 

OP, you need to get some (read: a lot) of experience behind the wheel and some (read: a lot) of experience holding a wrench before you try to do anything like a swap to your car. Start with the small things first like a brake job and changing oil. The more you can identify the little things that can be fixed, the easier it will be in a few years time to take on the larger problems which can be encountered in a swap.

 

Coming in and saying "I need help with a swap", whilst not knowing how to change your own oil is like me going to NASA to say, "I need help with my rocket. How do I make it launch?"

the sti swap is not to be taken lightly. the sti is a much different car than the bd and it takes a lot of time, money, and most importantly: skill. if you are that mechanically inclined, be prepared to shell out a lot of cash. and this isn't exactly the kind of swap to cut your teeth on. i know several competent builders who took a very looooong time to get an sti swap done in a a non-sti veh. even if you have an entire car to swap from, it isn't easy by no means. but if you do, take a shitload of pics and be prepared to answer a lot of questions on here about it. gl w/ the project.

EJ22T FTW!

 

If you are lucky enough to find one they have about 167 hp stock, and about 180 ft lbs of torque at the wheels. They are super bulletproof and old school cool.

 

My 22T was my first rebuild. Being my first time it was one of the more difficult projects that I have done in my life, but well worth it. I am going to swap another EJ22T that I have into my second gen after I rebuild that one and it won't be too bad now that I know what I am doing. I am putting a bigger turbo and timic in and pnp the heads and regrind the cams and call it a day. As much fun as 300 hp sounds, that's too way much for me and I would probably just crash it being stupid.

 

EJ22Ts can be expensive, but also can be found really cheap if you look long enough. I have seen the just the shortblock listed for $700. And running motors can be $1200+. The best thing is to just find an SS that someone is getting rid of cheap and swap the ecu, merge and swap the harness.

 

iSooby is right though. Learn to drive your GT first and upgrade the brakes, suspension, etc. Start by doing your timing if it needs it and go from there.

Save your money, do little mods first and then reconsider. I recommend reading a lot of the posts on this forum, they are pretty helpful. I remember when i first got my car all i wanted was to do a swap, but decided not to because a lot my car is pretty old and the bushing would need to be replaced and it is just going to use more gas and not be as reliable.

 

More power, the faster you go, the stronger the stuff needs to be....which leads to more money and a lot of supporting mods. Insurance is already high enough as it is, so having a decent car that gets places is great, and these cars don't really attract police like the STIs do.

 

I would recommend saving your money, and practice driving first, and then later or you can do a complete and thorough swap once you have the money and a spare car to drive. Being part of this forum can teach you a lot and help you figure what is a wise mod too.

 

Hopefully all our reasoning helps some. Enjoy the car.

When I first got my license 2 years ago at 16, I would have loved to have a fast car, but I could only afford a 96 2.2L NA at the time. Looking back, I am so glad I got that instead of something more powerful, because everything I have done to this car has been a learning experience, and now that I know confidently how to do most things and not cut corners, I can apply that to a nicer car. Learn to use whatever you get to it's fullest ability before you go higher, because you're just going to end up screwing yourself over. I've learned ever limit that my 2.2 has and how to get around those limits to get a little bit better performance out of it, engine and suspension wise.