Classic cheap and nasty 'performance' mods with catastrophic fail results.:(

Don't get it rebuilt, either find a frugal used engine and sell the car, or just scrap it :) Use the money from the scrapping/selling and add 3k that you would have spent anyway, then buy yourself a car (STi) that hasn't been owned by a pikey mod bellend. :)

Bear in mind chap, you're not going to get a huge amount of money out of breaking a standard wrx bugeye with knackered engine. You'll see around £1500 I would think, unless theres any performance parts fitted.

:lol1: @ pikey

That's another option, thanks for the suggestion.

Nah, I appreciate that. No real performance parts to speak of. Just a different exhaust system, 4 decent alloys with good tread on tyres and K & N air filter.

If you spent 3 k on a engine rebuilt the car will still be only worth 2600 -3k maximum when you sell it as facts are its a 10 year old bugeye which hasn't the cult status that a ten year old classic has and worth less and less at STi which are more desirable are fetching 3-3500 with petrol costs and insurance rising these cars that do 25 mpg are not popular anymore and it says something when classics And old bug eyes are worth more in parts rather then selling them complete
I would cut your losses and save up and get a 5k STi in the future personally

+1 with above :thumb:

Well after a lot of thought, I think I'm going to go ahead with the rebuild. I've considered a lot of options:

Replace engine with another - Already spent lots in labour having the engine stripped and there's not much difference between part costs and a suitable low mileage engine.

Replace engine, sell car and buy STi - Unfortunately as I'm only 23 the insurance would be 2000 instead of 1275 which is too much of a jump, there's also the risk that despite it being an STi with stronger internals than a WRX, it may have problems so isn't really within my budget.

Scrap/Break - Would gain around £1000 from this but have to spend a good few thousand on a new car and that would be pure chance whether it happens to be reliable or not. Out of the 4 cars I've purchased so far, 0% have been without major issues so I don't like my chances of finding a gem for 3000ish.

Rebuild - Expensive and the same cost as a new car however assuming the gearbox is ok, the car should have plenty of life in it and a forged engine will have some value if I decided to break the car in the future. They also give me a 12 month guarantee.

One thing I'm unsure of is whether it's worth going the whole hog with the rebuild and getting forged rods as well as pistons. Both the rods and crank are ok but would a completely forged engine add enough value to the car to warrant spending the extra few hundred quid?

Unfortunately, I can't add a different turbo to the car as my insurance won't cover it so I'll be limited to about 280bhp after the fresh remap.

If your going to keep the engine at standard bhp i wouldn't bother replacing the rods if there ok. I would think forged pistons are cheaper than buying standard cast pistons from subaru and there better so thats a no brainer. I would also fit 11mm head studs while the engine is apart. As you will have to run the car in you may aswell replace main and big end bearings too.

Thanks for your thoughts, if I had the money for additional insurance and a little extra for if anything else went wrong I would certainly go for the STi but I think it's going to just be a bit too much. Maybe once I'm 25 as I'll be able to get insured cheaper then!

The rods are fine, I just wondered whether having those done might increase the value of the engine for someone that wants to tune heavily when/if I eventually break it in a few years time. How much will the standard rods take, 450ish?

I'll probably get these (think they're the ones) - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUBARU-IMP...2#ht_720wt_952

I'll check out the head studs, thanks.

If rebuilding, forget about adding any value to the car, over a std working car of that age.
Remember that if you buy a 2nd hand car, you cannot be certain about the state of the engine etc etc, and as these cars tend to be abused or poorly modified, you could be buying more aggro. So if your car is in good general condition, and you plan to keep it 2 or 3 years, its worth doing the engine properly so you know its going to be solid - so new head studs, good head gaskets/bearings + probably std pistons/rods would be OK for 280BHP (I did on my WRX Classic at 280BHP) + a GOOD map - and its job done til you sell it.

I agree with you. I think he will find forged after market pistons are cheaper to buy than subaru standard items though so if these need replacing then then he may aswell get forged. Same for bearing, he may aswell fit acl mains and mahle big ends but id let the engine builder supply anf fit these rather than buy off ebay.

True true, I'll leave the rods, sounds like an unnecessary expense. Well hopefully after this is sorted, I'll have a nice car that works for a few years, something I'm not used to :D

They will be supplying the bits and offer a 12 month warranty, probably makes sense over eBay :thumb:.

I would seriously consider fitting the later 'bolt' type rods as they are a far better rod than the earlier 'nut and stud' type rods as fitted to your 2001 WRX UK.
Just my 2 pence worth.

Mick

Are the standard ones really at risk of failing at just 280bhp?

standard rods are crap, i wouldnt say they will go at 280 though, i would have thought they would take 350ish but for resale value and tuning at a later date its worth getting rods, later sti rods ie v8/9 afaik are good upto 450-500hp and i have been told better than some forged rods. i got a set of low mileage ones for mine for £80

oh and you will add value if its a decent forged build btw whatever others say

Will have a look for some sti ones, thank you

hi lads new on here , had same problem with my uk2000 ,spent all my cash on a car i always wanted , then engine blew three weeks later ! no money left so cheapest option for me was low mileage second hand! lucky for me still going strong 1 yr later , but i say lucky!!
all the best to all subaru owners

Welcome, I haven't been here long but learnt a lot already, great forum. Certainly frustrating, hopefully you got 'lucky' and the new engine will last a while.