Hey everyone, welcome to the build. A little background first. I've always been into performance cars and lusted after turbo Subarus since I knew what they were, but never had one before. I dabbled in the turbo awd setup, including a 1990 Eagle Talon TSi AWD and a 1991 Dodge Stealth TT, but didn't love them for a variety of reasons.
Fast forward to now, and I'm working as a Subaru dealer tech, finished with my Master Technician training, and have the means to start on a project car. What better way to reward (and test) myself than this?
The car is a 2002 WRX wagon. Perfect interior, 90% of the body is in great shape, no rust underneath, and no engine or transmission. Sounds like the perfect starting point for a build to me. Found it on Craigslist for $500 so it was well worth the 6 hour drive to pick it up.
The one thing that was making me nervous and the reason it was so cheap was that it has some frame damage to the right front rail, but I've already got parts and have found a reputable shop willing to do the work.
While I'm waiting to get the frame work done and saving up some funds, I have time to do some planning. I have a good EJ25 turbo shortblock out of a 2011 Forester XT, and today I picked up for cheap a nearly complete EJ20 that needs some attention. I had been considering a hybrid build, but after hearing about reliability and tuning issues have started to reconsider. I was made aware of Outfront Motorsports by a user here and am very interested in their decking service. I'm leaning towards getting the EJ20 deck closed, putting the EJ25 crank in to stroke it to 2.1L, doing forged pistons and rods, and a decent turbo along with some mild head porting. Ideally I'd send that power through a 6 speed DCCD transmission.
This will be a long term project but should be a fun one. I'd appreciate any feedback or advice and look forward to joining the Subaru crowd as an owner. Stay tuned for more!
Fast forward to now, and I'm working as a Subaru dealer tech, finished with my Master Technician training, and have the means to start on a project car. What better way to reward (and test) myself than this?
The car is a 2002 WRX wagon. Perfect interior, 90% of the body is in great shape, no rust underneath, and no engine or transmission. Sounds like the perfect starting point for a build to me. Found it on Craigslist for $500 so it was well worth the 6 hour drive to pick it up.
The one thing that was making me nervous and the reason it was so cheap was that it has some frame damage to the right front rail, but I've already got parts and have found a reputable shop willing to do the work.
While I'm waiting to get the frame work done and saving up some funds, I have time to do some planning. I have a good EJ25 turbo shortblock out of a 2011 Forester XT, and today I picked up for cheap a nearly complete EJ20 that needs some attention. I had been considering a hybrid build, but after hearing about reliability and tuning issues have started to reconsider. I was made aware of Outfront Motorsports by a user here and am very interested in their decking service. I'm leaning towards getting the EJ20 deck closed, putting the EJ25 crank in to stroke it to 2.1L, doing forged pistons and rods, and a decent turbo along with some mild head porting. Ideally I'd send that power through a 6 speed DCCD transmission.
This will be a long term project but should be a fun one. I'd appreciate any feedback or advice and look forward to joining the Subaru crowd as an owner. Stay tuned for more!