As some of you will know I emigrated to Perth, Western Australia last year from Sunny Doncaster. It's fair to say it's the best thing I've ever done.

Anyway after joining a couple of local forums and showing pictures of my previous builds I was asked to go and look at a 2007 Hawkeye STI. It had suffered a 4th failure after being built several times by a "professional" tuning company here in Perth.

I gave the owner two options a price for fixing it or I could buy the car off him.

He went for the selling it to me option.

So I set about building it. Here's a quick run down of the build.


This was the day I bought the car:






Considering the spec it was an absolute bargain at $15K AUD (£7500 GBP)

It had all the right parts as a basis for one of my builds.

The parts I reused were:
2.5 Darton Sleeved Block
Cosworth Rods (needed to buy one new one)
Cosworth Pistons
Cosworth 278/274 cams
GT Spec Headers
Garrett GTX35R turbo (0.82 v-band housing)
Cosworth Inlet manifold.
Killer B oil Baffle plate.
Killer B Oil Pickup
Koyo Radiator.
Process West Front Mount Intercooler.
Vipec V88 Engine Management.
Competition Clutch Twin Plate with hydraulic release bearing.


So as you can see it was a good place to start.

This is the story of me fixing a ****ty build by a supposedly "professional" engine builders.

 

The strip down, this was a bit of a horror story and I could only feel sorry for the previous owner as he got completely shafted by the guys that built it.

Numerous things had been done badly and a few things would have caused the engine to fail at some point.

The car had four rebuilds in about 20,000 kms. Each of them just wasn't done properly and each time the owner got screwed over for rebuild costs.

The pictures tell the story. This build had just 3000 kms on it before it failed.







This was the crap that came off the inlet port walls.


OEM clips in Cosworth Pistons (the OEM are slightly smaller diameter so the gudgeon pins were moving side to side causing grooves in the pins.











Here are the OEM and Cosworth Clips side by side as you can see the OEM ones that were used are thinner.

 

The crank had some end float issues:

 

Bottom end had gone too. Thank goodness for the strong Cosworth Rods:

 

One of the biggest issues was the fact that the block hadn't been refaced after the liners were fitted so it kept doing gaskets.

This wasn't movement in the liners. The company I used to do the machining for me showed me the two different finishes on the block and the sleeves they went in different directions!!

It also hadn't been centreline honed either.

So it got refaced centre line honed and machined for some Possum Bourne 14mm Headstuds.


Bottom End Build

 

Measuring clearances with plastiguage.

 

 

 

Cylinder Heads.

 

Got it all up and running and ran it in for 1000kms Then took it for mapping . It made 452 at the wheels at 1.5bar and next to no timing. We were just about to start pushing it when a cracked cylinder head stopped play.


I've since rebuilt it with new cylinder heads acquired from John Stevenson( thanks John).

 

I also designed my own return to sump catch can that seems to be doing its job quite well.
It was a proper diy at home job too.













Once the template was made I gave the design to someone local who made the final product for me and had it all powder coated etc.

 

Final tuning took place yesterday.

The numbers are in: 643hp at the wheels @ 2.0 bar on E85.

It goes like a stabbed rat



The suprising thing is that even though the car has roughly 100bhp more than my type R did it feels far more stable than that ever did.

I'd delighted with the numbers and am hopefully going to get on the drag strip here Next month. They are having a Subaru Vs Evo night. I couldn't think of a better time to debut it

Here it is on the dyno

 

Yay Daz is back!

Cracking job on the build. Car looks lovely and some fantastic numbers for a 2.5. Very nice.

 

The painted cardboard catch can came out well!

 

Lol seems to work OK.

I basically designed it all and gave a local fabricator the templates and he made it for me.

 

Well it looks great and if it was meant to be there!

Can't believe the state of that engine. Thats horrific. Can't begin to imagine how much money the previous owber has thrown at this car. eek.

 

60,000 AUD which is about 30,000 GBP

The garage that did it have even gone around telling everyone that the car went elsewhere after they'd built it. Honestly mate they are dodgy as ****.

 

That's shocking! I'd be a little more than pi55ed if they were saying that after I'd spent that kind of money and had that many problems with their work! WOW.

 

How much did Duncan charge to fly out and map your car then?

 

 

It was a local lad 24 years old and usually only maps the big V8's that are in abundance over here.

He is very bloody good it it too. We spent three hours on it yesterday.

It's amazing to drive. Discreet and well mannered off boost. It has Bosch 2200CC Injectors and Cosworth 274/278 Cams and idles at 900rpm.

You'd be hard push to know its not stock as a rock. The only giveaway is the rattle from the twin plate clutch.

I'm over the moon with it.

 

Great job Daz, nice to see you back on here


Wishing you all the very best and enjoy the fruits of your labour

 

Awesomeness!!!

Excellent build, and thanks for the pictures!

 

Cheers mate. It's real test will be in a few weeks at the drag strip.

 

Welcome back daz.
Done a cracking job there. Think Australia needs a new garden mechanic over there me thinks, sort the men from the Cowboys.

 

You've no idea what an accurate statement that is mate.
I've opened up a proper can of worms here with it all

Everyone taking the p!ss and calling me a dreamer at the start of it all. Haters out of the woodwork and all that.

Yesterdays events and the figures achieved wiped a few smirks from faces that's for sure.

 

awesome car n build daz

 

What a car. !!!!

 

fantastic result Daz, best of luck for your new life...........

 

Thanks Alyn,

I keep putting the locals onto you.

Getting parts here is a **** take.