hi can any one tell me if you can put a sti version 3-4 engine into a version 2-3 car

 

It depends on what your talking about. If your wanting to swap the bottom end, ie the block not the heads then yes this is fine. If however your wanting to swap the whole engine (block and heads) then you can put an engine in from an STi up to and including a 96 car, ie any v1 v2 or v3 car.

 

by this do you mean i have to keep the coil packs on the side of the heads not on the inlet

 

Correct. Unless you want to change to wiring loom, ecu......etc

 

You can use the complete engine including the heads upto v4.
The phase 1 and phase 1.5 engines have in-line bolt holes for the inlet manifold. So yes you can fit an engine up to v4sti or not. You just need to swap over your ancillaries ie: inlet manifold turbo etc.

V5 (phase 2) engines have an offset bolt hole arrangement on the heads so they are not really compatible with your current set up. In this case you can just use the short block but you will need to get the correct headgasket thickness. Plus a remap to suit the new compression ratio.

Ticky