Hello all
A little bit of the background to my car what I would like to do to improve it this summer to improve its value. I have had the car for over 3years now and really do enjoy owning this car. Its the nearest to my fav scooby which is the P1. The car is in silver and has a 2L turbo engine in it with a 5 speed gearbox. The engine has been tuned up but I believe the internals are standard. The car has cover 130,000miles and is year 1998
My budget isn't huge but this is where you guys could help me here as I'm no expert on these cars

1. I plan to change the engine n(this is a must as there is a problem with current engine). Is there a better engine to replace the current lump with which will drop in with a ECU swap or something.
2. The brakes are pretty much standard and are poor really. The STI brake calipers look affordable so are they a good way to go to get some half decent stopping power or are they just things which are for looking go faster items also do these calipers fit onto the standard discs or not? also what is the disc width the STI calipers will take?
3. I am going to get the body work tidied up, tiny bit of rust on the rear wheel arch, apparently common on the old imprezas.

The car has over its life had many thousands spent on it by previous owners. Now I guess its my turn
But I feel its worth while.
Let me know your thoughts
Cheers

 

could drop an sti engine and ecu etc in there from a car the same year as yours if you think its worth it or find a closed deck block which is stronger and do a rebuild but to be honest it would be less hassle to just buy an sti/wrx as you can pick them up cheap enough now. brembo sti brakes are miles better than standard and need bigger discs but will go straight on as long as your wheels will clear them hope this helps

 

Thanks for the advice, which STI engine should I use? I heard that the newer STI engines are better than the classic model STI engines. Also what about the EJ20 engine?

 

Okay this weekend I have bought a set of brake calipers for the car and will be collecting them this week. i bought the 4 pot ones, with SUBARU written on them, I assume these calipers fit straight on. also what is the standard PCD of the classic scoobys?
I will also get a front mounted intercooler for the car and just deciding on the engine still. I think it will be a STI version 5 engine I will get which suits the car I think as it already has many STI bits on the car already.
Also going to get a P1 splitter for it as well and an aluminium bonnet. Hope to get all the work done over the next 2 months.

Which engine would you guys recommend to fit? I assume the newer engines won't fit into the classic scoobys. am I correct?

 

Best advise is do plenty of research before jumping into a decision like an engine change. Totally depends on your long term goals as to which way to go engine wise. You can put a later Bugeye STI 2.0 lump in but you will need to revise the ecu, loom, etc etc.

Assuming you will be happy with mid 300's bhp (at which point your gearbox will be pushed) then i would simply rebuild your current engine with forged pistons, its the most efficient/cost effective way.

If you feel more flush then look into rebuilding a 2.0 closed deck block, or going with a 2.5 bottom end, but supporting mods will be needed.

My advise, speak to your local Subaru specialist, plenty on here to help run you through an appropriate spec

 

I'm looking for 300bhp, figured on fitting a STI engine from a classic shape Impreza but like the idea of a closed deck block, which engines have this?

 

You might like the idea but you probably wont like the cost. I dont know exactly which models had closed deck but i believe most were found in older type RA's. Expect to pay £400-500 for a used block.
You may need to change the inlet to an earlier V1-2 etc.
How much are you expecting/wanting to spend on a rebuild?

 

Just picked up a set of subaru 4 pot calipers new for the car. The front calipers look like they take quite a large disc. what size disc do they take on the front and rear? Engine wise my budget is sort of flexible. Want it uprated but most cost effective way. Just been looking at clutches and thought about using a turbo diesel clutch. Which clutches are best to go with? I see a lot of the Exedy clutches floating about on fleebay. I'm tempted to buy a STI engine and rebuild it myself. I have done engine rebuilds but only in line 4 engines, never a boxer

 

I'm getting really confused which engine is best to buy, I have seen RA engines which are affordable but is the STI 5 engine better. also will I incur any issues dropping the engine and just going? are there any other better base line engines to choose from to fit into this car being realistic on the budget. i can go upto around 1k, I think that's enough for a used engine which is slightly unknown

 

At your budget, personally id just rebuild your existing 2.0 using forged internals. Simple, no further mods (other than possible change of belts and pumps), no ecu or turbo changes, solid engine

 

what is wrong with the current engine?, UK turbo 2000 engines are not that bad really as long as it had decent oil in it.

 

Buy a new age short engine and use your heads etc, cheapest way imo, thats the route I'm going down as i have hg failure and would like to upgrade, my v5 STi short motor is still fine if you'd like to buy it

 

I'll take 450 for it delivered to mainland UK

 

No matter what you do, you will not add value to your car, modifying will only lose you money because you do not have a good starting point.

As you have found out, the 4 pot calipers need a bigger disc from the 2 pots, which were 266mm to 294mm, not expensive, you can pick these up with pads for around 100 quid.
Engine wise... no point changing anything to be honest with you, for the power you are after, your standard unit will suffice, BUT it will put strain on other parts of the car (clutch and gearbox), which may well break/wear out faster, which is more money you will have to lay out for, then if you want 300bhp you will need an upgraded turbocharger, and an esl map on your ecu, and this all adds up on a car that has 130k on it.
If the car doesnt have a decent exhaust on it, you will be splashing out on a new one of these too, thats probably eaten your budget, and then we have to come to the rust on the rear arches...

Ok your rust, if you work in a bodyshop then you will be ok here, but that little bit of rust has probably eaten away 6 inches of metal on the inner skin, look at 350 per side to get it sorted, and with the above you are looking at more than the car is worth, now, is it worth it or not? You will gain nothing from repairing the above except 2k out of your own pocket on a car worth less than 2k.

Harsh news but hey, I caught the rust on my rear arches very early, it had literally just started to bubble on the rim of the arch and used a guy recommended to me to do the paint work to cut the cost down (but he didnt have to replace metal like most of these rusty arches needed).

Tony