Track Mods for my 53blob wagon
 

The old girl has been a daily driver for the bread knife but now it's my turn. I love the car and the size is ideal if I need to pop and do a bit of work somewhere but really I want to get it on a track and have a bit of fun in it.
She does get driven hard from time to time but it's not often that the roads round here or traffic allows it. I feel that even as stock I would be the limiting factor round a track so firstly I'd probably be changing
brake fluid and pads possibly rotors
2nd hand set of track wheels and tyres
Coilovers
Exhaust (turbo back decat)
Fmic
Short ram intake
Remap

Have people done this with these in the past, any advice/ criticism more than welcome

Kind regards, Jim

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...bb6049be9a.jpg

Thought I'd chuck a photo up of the old girl

I've done a couple of track things in my blob wagon (05 PPP), on coilovers. If everything else is standard, the brakes are definitely the weak point.

The first time I took it on track was on the standard WRX 4 pot brakes, which had new pads and disks but everything was bog standard. After a 15 minute session (at Bedford) the fluid was boiling and even though I left it to cool a bit, next time I went out the pedal went straight to the floor and I went into the gravel trap :nono::cry:

Once all the gravel was shaken out, no harm done, apart from to my pride and losing track time.

I have since swapped the WRX brakes to Brembos from an STI, braided hoses, decent fluid and a brake stopper. Because of the size of the calipers, I also had to put it on STI wheels, and got new tyres. Recently did a session at Silverstone and it was awesome, no worries about brakes at all. Next upgrade I'm planning is a stiffer rear ARB (with new bushes and droplinks).

A couple of links:
Bedford – Silverstone –

Thanks for the info. What fluid are you using these days? When I'm on the hunt for some track wheels I'll keep an eye out for someone breaking an Sti. What sort of power are you running at or was it a standard (ppp) wagon when the breaks s**t themselves?

Can't remember what the fluid is, but I asked for something that would withstand some track action. You'll only need STI wheels if you get Brembos fitted, the standard WRX wheels won't clear them, and nor will some other wheels, so check first.

My wagon has the PPP kit so *should* be somewhere around the 270-280 bhp mark, although I haven't had it on a dyno. I must admit that on the long straights of Silverstone, I did start thinking about more power, something in the low 300s would be good and wouldn't require too much work...but I'm trying to get it stopping, handling and turning the way I want first. You'll probably find that sorting the brakes and handling will get you lots more lap time than adding power, pound for pound.

Don't bother with the FMIC, on the standard turbo it will not really give you any benefit but will increase lag. Get a cheap STI top mount instead and mod your scoop undertray or get an STI one. Admittedly, you could probably get an FMIC for the same money or a bit cheaper if you also buy an STI scoop but the TMIC would be massively more suitable IMO.

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along shortly though!

Brakes are shocking. I've switched to Performance Friction front discs and Z rated pads on my Blob STI and the difference vs bog standard stuff was night and day. There are better track pads, but for a road going track toy I think the PFZ are a very good halfway house. We gave ours a lot of stick at Cadwell and they performed admirably. Fluid I use Motul RBF 600. There's also 660 IIRC. Super Dot 4 tends to be better than 5.1.

Opie Oils sell the Motul. It's good stuff. Once you've sorted that and you've got coils and possibly uprated ARBs on, it should be a lot of fun :thumb:

Thanks for the info guys. Very much appreciated. I'll probably go with new pads and fluid until I'm through these tyres then if needed go for a set of brembos which would mean a change of rims then put a decent set of tyres on them, but I'll explore my options here.
A mate of mine is looking into some kit for re flashing a new map onto the ecu but the delivery is from the other side of the world so while I wait for that iv bought a 2nd hand John Ashley decat exhaust and sti up pipe anyone ever used one? Probably won't actually fit until we've had a look at the factory map as he wants a place we can go back to if a remap fudges everything. We'll see though, I might get too excited and have to fit it
The reason I'm keen on a fmic is it gives the scope for a bigger turbo (but I'm not 100% if that's a road I'm going to go down yet) any info here would be great:thumb:

The TMIC doesn't become a constraint until the high 300s. If you're tracking a WRX with a turbo running 380+, I imagine that the intercooler will be the least of your concerns :lol1:

Spend the money on brakes and suspension instead.

Cat delete on the exhaust, new brake fluid (motul 600 I think), changed the coolant because I felt like it, altered the map to up the boost a bit and bring it in a little earlier. Ordering a new wideband O2 sensor(so we can tune it properly), pads, discs, tyres, then probably coilovers with arb's.
any recommendations on any of the other bits would be great. Thinks for the advice so far

Also been hearing that the 5speed can't handle much over 250hp does anyone have any opinion/ info on this?

No, that would be 350 bhp - and it's hard to get any real evidence of that limit anyway. Generally people on here seem to advise not putting more than 350 bhp through the 5 speed gearbox, but I don't remember seeing many threads about cars where the 5 speed has gone bang.

More generally if the car has a 5 speed box it is probably a WRX, and getting over 350 bhp on a WRX would show up many of the limitations of the other components including the gearbox, so most wouldn't bother - you'd spend more getting the rest up to scratch than it would cost just to have bought an STI in the first place – although with a wagon you don't have that choice. I gather there was a JDM bugeye STI wagon but suspect they are very rare over here.

My 5 Speed went bang running about 340Bhp on a 2.1.

It's torque, not power, that stuffs a 5 speed.


I'm running c370 llbs/ft on a 2.1 and I'm on my 3rd TY754VN2AA 5-speed box.


With that level of torque the first box didn't have an easy life and I trashed the synchros pretty quickly.
Fitted blast plates on the next one and it felt so unburstable I'd spin up the wheels coming off of roundabouts in the dry until I completely stripped a shaft shifting up to 3rd.
I'm showing the current (blast plate reinforced) one a bit more respect.

Ahh that should be fine. I'm not going to be going mental tuning it, I'll bring it up to somewhere near 300 then but spend more time and money on the handling. Mate has come up with a boost graph of stock Vs now.
Like I said it's not tuned properly yet as I'm waiting to fit a wide band O2 sensor.
Getting quite a bit of turbo whistle now... well at least I think that's what it is

If this works the attachment is as I said above. Stock tune Vs weekend tune

Who's idea was it to run more boost😭 Anybody had this knockin/ tapping noise Iv stuck a video on YouTube so I can try and link it here. If anyone can offer an opinion that would be greatly appreciated as always.
Cheers, Jim

https://youtu.be/r_A6-95E6Dc

Oooh, that sounds nasty. Is the check engine light on?

'normal' link to youtube clip here

Ahh thanks man. How did you link it like that? I just copied the URL from you tube. I'm notoriously hopeless with tech though.
A friend of a friend who has re built a few engines in the past and also with my research we are thinking it's most likely the bottom end bearing on the connecting rods
Iv talked another friend into letting me keep my Waggon in his barn and giving me a hand lifting the engine out.

So this presents a new set of options and certainly adds a few complications to the project it looks like I'm going to be throwing a bit more time at this and definitely more money so do I just take my time allowing me to rebuild the engine properly, (maybe go forged) and see if I can also find a 6 speed while Iv got it out or just try and get away with doing the con rods or just barings if I can flog it and get a BMW 1 series...🤣

Sounds like big ends knocking. Rebuild required unfortunately

Yeah that's what everyone I know is saying but to be fair they are mostly itching to give me a hand with it. Do people go for rebuilds on the ej205 or just go for a 2nd hand engine would a 2nd hand sti engine have already forged components or is it worth replacing mine?
is forged the road to go down as it's only a cast aluminium block (I think)
anyone been in this situation and what did you end up doing?

I blew my wrx engine up and just bought second hand sti engine I've done 6000 miles hard driving so far at approx 400bhp and it's not missed a beat. Sti lump also good for around 450bhp from factory so it's a cheap alternative to a forged build

Ok, thanks for the advice. Something to think about. I'll have a look into the sti engines.
Assuming they are still the ej205 but are they built any better... or was I just unlucky with the engine going.
Will find out next Friday how badly. Off on my honeymoon tomorrow so until next week thanks a lot for all the help.

Sti engine is an ej207 semi closed deck. There are no forged parts in them but internals are stronger than wrx. Also sti lump has avcs heads with better cams than ej205.

Sounds more like top end than bottom end to me, bottom end when it goes is a clonking knocking sound, yours is just tapping.

Next time use a professional mapper from here, Pat, Bob, or Martyn all well proven and very experienced.

P.s just buy another WRX engine for £3/500 drop straight in and go back to the PPP map, quick, easy, safe and cheap fix... otherwise you're going to end up spending a small fortune.

Your never going to be the fastest or a racing driver so just go and have some cheap fun.

I hear what you're saying and I'm sure at some stage it will be taken to someone who knows what they're doing but most of the fun is in trying to do it all ourselves. I totally agree that it's a more expensive/risky way of going about it but everyone has to start somewhere.
i'll learn far more from making mistakes and putting right myself on this project than handing it to a specialist every time I want something done. Obviously if I wanted the fastest car in the world I wouldn't be trying to build it myself with a few mates in a barn surrounded by livestock, for me it's more about the journey than the destination and what can be learned from it. I appreciate what you're saying and if the engine is beyond salvageable then I'll see what 2nd hand engines are going for.
Thanks for the comments

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Found this tonight after pulling the heads off. Will try to link a video again. Will hopefully go better than the last on.

This was only on one cylinder so fingers crossed not a massive re build.

https://youtu.be/NtnIoy04wB4

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NtnIoy04wB4&feature=youtu.be

I give up. Can't link it but it's on YouTube.

Add it as a URL using the icon that looks like a little world with a paperclip underneath :)

Legend. Thank you.
Hopfully splitting the block tonight to confirm the issue, providing it's a big end baring as suspected and nothing else too sinister I'll probably get the heads and crank tidied up definitely replace the clutch on the way back in but would anyone else throw money at upgrading any other components I.e pistons con rods, valves, springs or anything if they are generally in reasonable condition? The research Iv done looks like you can either spend a couple of hundred or a couple of thousand plus, porting honing and upgrading bits. I think ideally(as mentioned above) I'll just get this engine back up and running and would be best to spend the money elsewhere. I.e tyres and breaks
thanks for reading