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Boo's 5 year plan. Let's talk internals! (get in here Keith, Kirt, John...exct)

17K views 61 replies 14 participants last post by  boo-key 
#1 · (Edited)
The intent of this thread is to gain insight on internal modifications. Specifically what the most cost effective route for my goals will be. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to bolt-ons (choosing and installing) but, not so much on internals. I would love to gain knowledge through your experience and suggestions in this thread. I have always been most interested in increasing power output of my wrx but, at the same time am timid because of the fear of catastrophic failure. I would rather have overkill in the area of combating this type of failure than go on any farther than my current stage 2+ set-up. Currently my car has 68xxx miles on it and everything discussed in this thread will be assuming when it hits 100k the engine is still in good working order. I estimate that at the rate I'm going it will take me about 5 more years before I hit 100k. My goals are 350awhp on e85. anything north of that would be great but, not required. Rather than just do the timing belt service then I would like to pull the engine and rebuild it to handle more power. I will be removing the engine myself but, am not comfortable with the rebuild unless I really learn a TON between now and then about it. Rather than modify my car any farther now, I will be hoarding parts as finances allow for this build. This is where you guys come in! This may seem like a large list but, keep in mind the amount of time I have allowed to acquire my goals. without further ado here's my list.

Forged pistons
connecting rods?
Bearings?
Machine work
AOS
ID 1000cc injectors (I plan on going e85)
parallel fuel mod
aftermarket fuel rails
20g turbo?
gs tmic, splitter, i/c hoses
sti 6speed trans
r180 rear diff
dccd controller
new clutch (oem) and possibly lightweight flywheel
oem water pump
oem timing belt and tensionersis
Studs?
gs thermostat
killer b oil pickup and windage tray
Head work?
stiffer engine and trans mounts
gaskets?
cobb ss with kartboy bushings

This list is not set in stone and I am open to suggestions. I only want what I will need for this build and not a bunch of extras. Remember this is a budget minded build. Now for the questions. What brand, size of pistons? Do they usually come with all hardware (rings, pins, exct...) If not what will I need? What kind of machine work will I need done? Will I have to increase bore? Should I get coated pistons? Connecting rod suggestions? What if anything will have to be done about/with the crank? What about bearings? Will I need any head work done? What kind of gaskets should I plan on buying? Do i need aftermarket head studs? Will my current walbro 255 support my fueling needs or will I need to step up? I would like to keep my 5x100 wheels, hubs, brakes so, what is the most cost effective way of doing this with the r180 and 6 speed swap? Axles?

Now Drop the knowledge on me so I can get to pricing my build and sloooowly buying parts!
 
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#38 ·
If you put this money for 5 years into an account rather than dumping it into your WRX, you can then sell the WRX and buy an STi without a car payment. Clearly you're talking about a large amount of money if it included a built motor and 6-speed.
 
#46 ·
This is an AWESOME share! :)
Yeah, that guy has a couple of really awesome in-depth videos that cover almost everything. He seems to really know what he's doing also.

Question...is the 09 legacy gt short block the exact same as my 06 wrx? I know they are both ej255's but when i search gasket kits i get different results for each. If they are not the same what's the difference? Do they have the same bore? Are the lgt rods forged? Does the 09 lgt have the nitrile (whatever it is) crank?
 
#51 ·
:tease:Damnit!!! Got my terms wrong again! Induction hardened is what rally sport direct says it is. Here's their description.


This crankshaft from Subaru is their latest and greatest factory EJ crankshaft. The crank is induction hardened to be extremely hard and reduce the chances of wear and damage from foreign material.

This is the OEM Induction Hardened crankshaft used in the 2011+ STI but it is suitable for most EJ255/257 motors.
 
#53 ·
Okay, so I picked up my project shortblock today. Took it apart to inspect it. Most of the bearings were worn pretty bad and there are some light marks on the cylinder walls. If I buy new bearings and a new crank there will be no need for machining there right? Can I get the cylinders honed and still use stock sized pistons or should I just go the next size up? I can take pictures of any surface you might want to see to help me out. Here she is. Im calling it project mustang killer simply because all the guys at work have mustangs and like to talk trash. I beat one of their cobra's (on a closed course :thumbup: ) and he went and bought a tuner for it and got me back. Revenge will be mine one day though!
 

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#54 ·
New crank and bearings is fine, but still get the main's checked for straightness and alignment. Cylinders, that really depends. Have a machinist check the bores to see how far out of spec they are then determine if you just need to hone it or full on bore. Also don't forget to get the block tanked.
 
#55 ·
Would the machine work I may possibly need be something any machine shop can do or would I need someone who has experience with subaru engines ? The reason I ask is because there are none around here with subaru experience. I think I am going to attempt this build myself.
 
#56 ·
As long as they have a cylinder gauge that's worth a damn...any shop that has hone and boring experience should be able to do it. I'd think and they should have a tank to clean all the little shavings out.
 
#57 ·
Okay, do I need to have the pistons first to take to them or will I just need to tell them what size the pistons are? Do I need to also tell them piston clearances and ring gap? Will I need to factor in coatings when doing all this? The skirt coating I want says it is about 0.008 thick. Where can I find the clearances for a Subaru engine with forged pistons? Sorry for all the stupid questions (present and future). I will probably have a lot of them.
 
#58 ·
Any good auto machinist can find out what the clearances are for the block. Now if it has to be bored then yes make sure you have the pistons before boring the block. As far as the coating goes again the machinist should know what to do. As far as who you have do it, well that's another story. I had to drive 2hrs away to have mine done. none of the machine shops around here would even look at it. Also Subaru engines aren't your typical V8 design or typical 4 cylinder design either. I highly recommend finding someone with experience in doing these types of motors for your machining. Clearances I have a copy of the manual around here somewhere..I'm sure you can google search it if need be. Forged pistons will come with clearances for it.
 
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