David - the company that did my engine are top notch! so if Simon is after a complete, uprated engine, I would highly recommend where mine was purchased...

I just wouldn't recommend getting it fitted in Jersey, unless that is your only choice!

Anyway, in the end, touch wood, it has all worked out fine in the end with a local garage fitting it..... thank god I didn't get them to make anything!!!

[Edited by ChristianR - 12/9/2002 6:00:13 PM]

 

Hi All

I've decided to bite the bullet and get my engine rebuilt.

It gets a fairly hard life from time to time () and the piston slap is driving me mental and I don't want it to finally give up the ghost and throw all of those complicated bits of metal that I know nothing about all over the engine and surrounding countryside.

Went down to API (just off j12 M40) after a recommendation and thought I should post something as they seemed seriously switched on and came across as a REALLY genuine and helpful bunch.

I did my usual "trust-test" trick () and gave them the apparent opportunity to sell me a new engine (saying things like - I'd rather make sure it was completely right and start from scratch, etc) but they said "look, we'll be happy to take the money from you, but you won't really gain anything, and you'll then have mismatching serial numbers on your engine to your car" which gave me that fuzzy warm feeling

Does anyone know of them / have you used them? They had 3 imprezas in there while I was there and aparently do loads of them.

Cheers

Simon

 

rebuild to std spec or rebuild to cope with more power at a later date?

Id recommend SMG or anybody that Mark (R19KET) recommends...

I also hear that christianR's mechanic is good

David

 

rebuild to standard, although including some other rods (???I think) that cope better with the higher revs or something. Sounded like a good idea!!

 

simon,

no offence, but people being honest and ncie doesnt make them good engine builders, though I know what you mean.

i woudl be inclined to ask mark to sort it for you.

I know you arent interested in power, but most of the cost of a rebuild is labour, so if it is being done, it would be foolish not to strengthen rods, and possibly pistons.

As david has said, speak to mark, am sure he will get it sorted for you, and you know he has the knowledge to get it right.

One thing I have learned is that a core few enthusiast on here know more than all the "subaru specialists" put together. if you combine their knowledge with a competant engnie buildr, then you simply wont go wrong.

in short, speak to mark.

 

we've had bad experiences with them at work mainly noisy engines so we dont use them anymore.

 

I would like to say in APIs defence that I just my car back from them after some gearbox mendage, and I was truly impressed by their level of knowledge too. I got the impression Dave likes to keep a low profile on here, but believe me, this chap is a scooby enthusiast (at least from an internals point of view) as he seemed less interested in all the colour coded bits and bobs around the engine, and started to enthuse (with minimum prompting) about the balancing of crankshafts, how to tell STi piston heads apart, and a whole host of other information that my poor addled brain failed to take in.

Oh, and my gearbox is doing great!

Scoobysport use them.

I do not want to pass judgement on their technical ability, as I am not qualified to do so, but in terms of enthusiasm (and good honest customer service) I cannot fault them.

Imagine how impressed I was to get a guided tour of their premises when Dave was clearly in a meeting. Note that this was for WARRANTY work!

I can honestly say that I have never been anywhere that actually seemed pleased to see me after a warranty claim!

They also gave me a quick overview of my car (which is bloody knackered at the moment!) and told me everything that will need doing before it's next MoT. Good job boys!

 

Hi All

Thanks for the replies.

I think the main thing is that they're local and I was just so impressed that they truly seemed like they would look after you from a customer service point of view.

They also do hundreds of impreza engines, and had about 15 - 20 scooby blocks there, 2 imprezas up on ramps, and about 2 or 3 outside.

David also came up with some really interesting stuff which I'm going to ask him to put into text so you can all rip it to pieces! And being somone who knows nothing about this stuff it was nice to talk to someone who was confident enough to talk to me in terms I understood rather than trying to blind me with science.

It's all booked in now, and there are always more than one company you could take your car to for anything so no offence should be taken by Mark or anyone else.

I will ask David about the noisy engine thing though as they didn't seem the kind of company that would be happy about something like that happening. Would you email me offline (or post here if you don't mind) to tell me which company you work for and I'll talk to him about it?

All the best

Simon

 

PS...

Also, on the "you might as well upgrade things if you're opening it all up anyway".

Yeah, this makes sense I'm sure, but I don't know enough about engines to know what knock on effects that would have. I know from chassis dynamics, that "uprating" any one part of the suspension has knock effects for every other aspect of the dynamics so (perhaps wrongly) I would rather keep things standard, but well built. The only thing I will do is have the rods upgraded as I have been told by enough people now that this will only be a good thing.

All the best

Simon

 

simon, to my knowledge there arent many knock on effects.

extra weight could be a concern, but the only things that would suffer fromt he rods ebing heavier, is the rods themselves.

Strengthened rods can normally cope with their own weight.

The rods are the weakest link by far, so you wont go wrong just getting that done.

 

cheers adam. That's one more person that's told me that then, so like I say, I think that's safe.

 

of course it depends what rods you fit..

David

 

David,
Arrow Rods any good? Only im thinking about using them in my rebuild.

Gez

 

Gez,

Talk to Mark at Lateral Performnace about rods.

http://www.lateralperformance.co.uk There are other options than just Arrow rods.

Stuart

 

Simon,

No offence taken. I'm sure they will do a great job for you, and god help them if they don't

Mark.

 

Lol @ Mark - true though

 

Couldnt tell you... Ive seen a set of marks and that sold me.. so thats what Im getting... just waiting for them to come