Non Turbo to Turbo conversion
 

Hi guys i am glad to tell you all i am the new owner of a 2.0 AWD non turbo impreza :sleep:

I am after some friendly advice from you scooby owners on how i can turn this into a true Ant's Spec impreza (Aka Gl to Wrx Sti eventually running at 450bhp)

First of all i want to know if the 2.0 in the gl is going to be ok for the conversion and will the present loom be compatible? Also the ECU?

To start with i am aiming to get average power (280-300bhp) and basically get the beast up and running reliablly. Below is a list of components i think i will need to get this turbo project on the go!

Good Breaks & Pads, Front & Rear
4 or 6 pot Calipers
Fmic
Turbo Td05 20g or a MD with big wastegate
DownPipe
Manifold
Exhaust 5"
Injectors 444cc or 555cc
Air Filter
Fuel Pump 255lph
Aluminium suspension bars
Clocks

Next thing is the suspension. What would you guys suggest? Is the suspenson in the 2.0gl the same as the wrx? If not what would be the best option in your opinions?
I am trying to do it as cost effective as possible as funds arent my strong point atm.

Any more suggestions would be great.

Cheers

Ant

don;t bother, sell the none turbo and buy a model with one already, lots of other parts that are upgraded.

to go as far as 450 then your gonna need an engine build, gearbox, diffs, shafts etc etc.

just out of interest how much are you looking at spending?

Ive got a sport and have asked the same questions as you. As you may guess i got the same replys lol. But i searched around the internet and came across a dedicated sport ( non turbo) forum. Its imprezasport.net , and on their techinical part they have a tuning section which tells you the best ways to mod a non turbo engine, aswell as suspension and exhaust advice. Id give that a look first but i dont think youll get 400 bhp from a sport. Sorry

funds arent your stong point!!!! dont waste your time and money on a pipe dream then. think about this logically. you want a car that is designed with about 100hp to run about 450hp. the time and effort needed to convert a classic turbo car to 450hp is collosal. it would be cheaper to buy a 2007-08 STi and modify it. seriously. if you are thinking about an insurance scam i.e I am too young to get insurance on a full on STi but if i mod a 2.0 GL and dont tell my insurance company then your a mug.

If, on the other hand you have money to burn then fill your boots mate. you can be the guinea pig. let us know how it goes.

The 450 is based on a forged engine and a good 6 speed gear box, clutch ect... I do understand how to mod cars to a certain degree (i got my rx from 265 - 410)

I never realised this forum was full of tossers?

I'd be carefull calling somebody a Tosser on your 2nd post M8. Especially someone as well respected and with as much knowledge as Bigsinky.

All he was simply saying is that what it'll cost you to convert your sport to anything remotely approaching 450 Bhp would cost way way more than purchasing a newage STi and simply changing the Turbo, Injectors, Fuel pump and remap to get 400-420 Bhp

No.
No
No

I know you didn't like the previous responses - they may have been terse but they were correct: it is a mammoth task to convert a NA impreza to a turbo as you pretty much have to replace everything.

If you still want to do it, then good luck - I admire you taking on the challenge :cool:

I think there's a thread in the projects section of someone who has done thus, so you might want to take a look there?

He didnt call him a mug. He said if he was planning an insurance scam, then he'd be a mug. So if he wasn't planning this, then he wouldn't be a mug. Simples.

Its a pretty regular question thats asked on here and the majority are planning on non-declaration of the conversion to their insurance companies.

I've yet to see someone who can get reasonable insurance on a turbo ask about converting their sport ;) They would just buy the turbo.

Thank you for the response.

I didnt make my self all that clear to start with. Firstly i am no MUG, i am 23 years of age with 5 years no claims discount and would be using my business insurance which covers my Van, 200sx and my rx7, all modifications Declared.

I enjoy modding my cars and tracking them to feel the power afterwards. I have performed my own Ca18Det - Sr20det conversion on my s13 with Os Giken gear box and supporting mods aswell as single turbo'ing my rx7 with supporting mods.

I fancied a 4wd car seeing as i have landed myself with 2 rwd cars!
and well in Blackpool there is a scooby on every street. That is why i wanted to do my personalized version. I have played about with the rotary engine, normal 4 cylinder and now i want to play with the flat 4 boxer.

When i mentioned funds arent my strong point. I have got 4k to spend doing this car up and i have just won myself a 94 wrxsti for £1800 as a donor car and seeing as they are exactly the same chassis i didnt see where the problem would have been. So that leaves me with £2200 and a full wrx sti with working bits and another 1994c boxer engine.

Apologies if i seemed abrupt it is just i come to these forums for advice not to be named a Mug when you have no idea what my intentions are!

and the 450 bhp is my projected Maximum that i am aiming for in the long run. I did say my intentions at present were to get the basic 280bhp from the engine running reliably.

Cheers pal.

I think we (as a community of subaru enthusiasts) would be doing the lad a dis service if we didnt tell him the realities of subaru modification. ok, i could have been a bit more tactful with my reply but the sentiment is just the same.

if the lad wanted a 450hp subaru why did he buy a 2.0l GL in the first place. there are plenty of guys n girls on here, some with a helluva lot more knowledge than me, who would have given him buckets of advice.

To be fair i had only come to ask a few questions then i get the guy slating me calling me a mug?

The newage would be a good idea. I was half thinking of dropping a 2.5 in there, i know a guy near me has everything needed for the conversion (Engine, loom, ecu ect...) I could get it for 2k.

I can see this becoming another high spend project lol

I did say at the beginning my intentions to start was to get the reliable 280 from the boxer. I never ment to cause so much controversy

now you have explained yourself you will get more appropriate replies. you know what is involved having modified other cars. to be truthful mate 2200 is not going to get you far. new ecu like simtec will eat half that up in one go and there are loads of other bits that need to be bought to make the engine as bullet proof as possible. you can do things like this on a shoestring but i have to say having been in that boat it is very hard. good luck with whatever way you move the project forward.

That was my sole intention to Start with! Down to bare shell then work on it. 500 for the car ... and a cheap donor.

For converting IMO it going to cost even to 280 bhp...

£1000 engine with low milage and ecu and loom

1 week solid to swap complete loom over, swap engines etc

Plus every thing you would spend in little bits and bobs.

It will work out cheaper to buy one all ready done.
Because...

1, It was built in the factory
2, No agrovation of parts not fitting.
3, For 4k you can get a decent classic turbo.

All the above is my opinion.

As mentioned if you want to do it then fair does it will be a challenge.

all the best

there is no controversy here mate. you just didnt give us enough info, and as has been said before the amount of people we get on here asking about doing this and doing that, when they are told how much it costs, they think you are taking the pish.

you have modified cars before so you know the score. we just want you to go into the project with your eyes wide open and know what is involved.

A bulletproof 400-450bhp Impreza using a good turbo Impreza as a base will cost around 10-12k to do properly.

With a sport as a base, it'll be even higher. Everything bar the shell of the car will pretty much have to go. Wheels, brakes, suspension, gearbox, diffs, ECU, engine, ancillaries.

It's really not worth it mate. Get a turbo and settle with 330ish which can be done with a budget of 2.5k

im sure i saw a web site somewhere about supercharged 2 litre imprezas/ foresters. possibly from americashire.

don't forget you'll need to change the brakes, suspension, arb's etc. its a big project and alot of people have tried and not many finish, but if you wanna do it go for it mate, not everyone's the same.

Mate, there is a guy on bbscoobys.com who has converted a n/a to a turbo and is currently doing another one. If you go on there and ask I'm sure he will be able to give you some advice.

with the two cars you have and the £2200 quid you have more chance of flying to the moon than making a decent, reliable 450bhp car. not been harsh but thats the truth.

i think he's not like can't affort a turbo, then buy a sport and turn it into one, think he just want to build himself a turbo from sketch, then fully satisfying and enjoying the process of doing it.

A brave man:thumb:

im doing the conversion ,got a 2.0 sport ,just bought a legacy twin turbo so will be starting it next week.looks like engine ,gearbox ,ecu, fuelpump,exhaust system.bought the legacy for £200 rear ended. anything else ?are there any extra sensors ?

:thumb:

hope to have it running within 3 days .my sport is 2.2 at the moment and has disks all round so brakes should cope .the car was smacked up when i got it ill put a pic on

Not sure I see the point to be honest if you have to swap out brakes, engine, gearbox, suspenstion, looms, ECU etc etc can you really call it a sport conversion as most of the parts are from a WRX or STI.

Wouldn't it be cheaper (and still unique) to by an STI and make it look like a sport?

Anders

hia mate , if you dont mind me asking how much did you get out of your rx7 , we build them where i work , new ports , huge turbo's ect and just started doing subarus , main subaru dealer now to , pop down if you need anything for it , we sell apexi ecu's to . bc coilovers etc
rich