Well if you've met me you know that I drive a 2004 Impreza outback sport. I picked her up when she only had 183k on her and the head gaskets were dumping. I picked it up for a reasonable 3600 cash (still feel it's a bit much) but the dealer originally wanted 6.5k for it. I've been in the biggest toss up with this vehicle as working for Subaru puts a strain on really building anything. :| I work for SoK and even though I try for all it's worth I don't make that much so I have a feeling this build will take a while so I felt like now would be a good time to start keeping track. I bought her back in 2012 in October. she had 183k on her. I was finally about to get my first Subaru after being in fords most of my driving life. I took it to work and did a full scan over the entire car. It was pretty clean for 183k and the only thing leaking was head gaskets. The transmission shifted like butter and I felt all was dandy. So I drove it for about 2k miles and saved up more money to do the head gaskets. 800 dollars later I had new head gaskets, idlers, belts, pulleys everything that could be replaced going down to head gaskets basically was. I felt even better driving the car. Then it settled in that hmm I can't hear this thing. So I bought a 100 dollar exhaust axle back. I then drove it for about 100 miles and wasn't satisfied. It sounded to much like a Honda. That y pipe had to go. So saved up some more and then bought a Borla replica UEL header for the wagon. I installed it the same day I got it and cranked it up and fell even more in love with my wagon. As time goes went on I realized I had way to much slack in my handling and was being criticized that I was way to high up in the sky. So again, I saved up and bought some Race land coil overs. I dropped it down to about an inch above the tires. I said finally I feel like I fit in.. Test drove it was great.. till I tried to take a hard turn going right at about 80 mph. nothing but scrapes.. :rofl: I still have yet to fix it. So the latest addition to The subie besides the coil overs were some 20mm sway bars and the steering rack bushings I recently bought. I installed the bushings almost within a day of buying them and quickly cursed the living day lights out of my steering rack and subaru for putting up such a fight. :rofl: I got the 20mm sway bars out of a junk yard off a wrx wagon and quickly realized that 20mm wasn't enough and that I need to find 24mm sways if I really wanted to get into it. Still looking for them btw So all in all you're probably wondering Why did I make a build thread? Well was was created because that car is going to go under the slow knife.. Possibly the butter knife?? :eek3: I wanted to be different from everyone and I didn't want to be like everyone else and just do a swap to a turbo (even though it crossed my mind). I never really got over the fact that I'm driving about a 150hp wagon around and not seeing the great gas mileage like everyone thinks I am. I then came up with the idea I was going to do a 6 cyl swap.. then quickly dumped that idea when I read and met a couple swapped guys. No I decided I would go even worse with this build and seriously just throw stupid money at this car over time.:rofl: What I honestly wanted to do and after some research I've come to the realization that no one I have met or seen yet has pushed a SoHC motor 2.5L to or close to 300hp. I said do they even make cams for this car? low and behold Delta still does cam work for subaru.. I started getting hopes and and doing more research. I've told the guys I work with some of them are excited to see this build others don't think it's possible. So far what has come down the pipe line: I currently own a 2009 forester block 2.5L semi closed. (same block as the STI) It had a knock in it but bearings will be an easy replacement. I also have access to all things subaru between my co workers and my online stuff. So here is the goal. I wanted to take the block and fix it and clean it up and re hone it. Push it from 10.0 to 1 compression to about an 11.2 or so compression. Most blocks actually use the same size pistons. I recently figures out I could possible stick an old 96-99 legacy gt piston in. The ran a 10.5 to 1 compression ratio. I will be looking for some SoHC heads and cams. I will want to send the heads to a machine shop to enlarge the valves if possible. The heads I will want ported out to gasket match and possibly even polish. I recently bought an aluminum intake and currently gasket matching it and will work on polishing it later. The cams will go to Delta for there serious grinding that will need a tune. I don't know how long this build will take but I know in time I will try and have this block fully assembled and eventually try and drop it in. This will be one of those good things come with great patience. You can comment and say I'm throwing my money away all you like but in turn I can officially say that I have a one of a kind Subaru. :sx:
So I hadn't updated anything at all recently as the christmas season has sucked away all my cash for others presents :wtc: I've started porting out the intake and as you can see in my crappy cell phone pics there actually is a big difference in not ported and ported to gasket match. I'm just using bit from my cut off wheel at work and just slowly working it out. it's time consuming and it's a bit loud so I try to keep music flowing into my ears. I currently have to find a longer bit to get further in the intake to smooth it out. then I will also worry about doing around the TB.. I've looked at some bigger TBs and so far I don't like what I see. No offense but I really don't want a cheap 90mm highlighter blue TB on my intake. someone asked me if i had thought about just boring out my current TB and it cross my mind. If I was capable of finding a bigger butter fly I would actually probably buy another TB online and bore it out. it's just finding a butter fly to fit my cutting inexperience might not work out so well. So if you have any input on where to find a bigger Throttle body that fits and doesn't look like rice. Please share your input. On the other note I did find some pistons.. and man are they pricey. http://www.techworkseng.com/Products/Subaru_Forged_Pistons.htm I'm tempted to go out and see if pull a part will give me heads off a SoHC with cams in it for a decent price.
bigger TB isn't worth the headache as it will cause throttle response issues, loss MPG, and pointless if you can't open up the intake manifold to match. Money and time would be better spent on cleaning up the ports on the manifold, heads and exhaust. A 4-2-1 mandrel bent header with a smooth flowing exhaust, cams and kick up the compression is what you need to make power in a NA motor.
yeah, I just can't believe that techwerks wants $700+ for those 11.2 compression ratio for those pistons.