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Prospective WRX builder

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  titter 
#1 ·
Alright, here's the deal. I'm 20 years old, broke, and in college. My problem is that I love cars, a little too much. Like all young (and old) car junkies, I am absolutely in love with any WRX/STi I see. I would love to start a project but I have no idea how to start, what to buy, or what's worth doing. I'm going to lay out my dream, and let some people rip it apart to make it a little (or a lot) more realistic. This will not be my only car, so having it sit at home is alright. [(Currently drive a 2004 Audi A4, 5 speed, 1.8t) got a super nice deal on it].

Dream:
2005 WRX Sport wagon.
Swap with STI engine from a more recent year.
Upgrade transmission.

Questions:
Is it possible to put a newer engine into the older car?
Is it realistic?
Do i have to upgrade my transmission?
Does the gearing need to be changed?

I'm obviously extremely new to stuff like this, and I may come off as naive and stupid, but I think it would be kind of cool to do or start!
Thanks a lot guys and gals,
Michael
 
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#2 ·
welcome to the fourms! +1 for a wagon :D

i'll try to keep things short as to not dump a million things on you at once and ovewhelm you. there is ALOT to know about these cars and it is going to be a fun journey, but i suggest you read up for a good month on everything before you start your project. a good source for all information are the stickies on NASIOC.

here is the Unabomber's Manifesto: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169980

bookmark it, and it read it any chance you have spare time (on the shitter is good). hes just a dude. love or hate him, his information is 100% accurate and cross checked and scrutenized by thousands of nerds on the internet. also i would refrain from posting on nasioc as a n00b because you'll just get ripped apart by trolls and then mods will lock your post and tell you to search.


Is it possible to put a newer engine into the older car?
the older models, including the one your interested in (2005) pretty much go together like lego. theres dozens of combination you can do.

Is it realistic?
totally 100%. its not cheap at all. but when done properly, you can easily have a 400hp car for a daily driver that will last you years.

Do i have to upgrade my transmission?
this most comes down to what your project entitles. if your going for some crazy 500+ firebreathing monster, i recommend you do your trans. although there are 600+hp cars running stock drivetrain (its mostly how you drive your car)

Does the gearing need to be changed?
yes and no. you dont need to change it to match the performance, you need to change it to match your diff. for example, i have a 4 speed auto with a final drive gear of 4.11, if i want to go manual (being a 3.90 final drive) i would also need the rear diff with the proper 3.90 final drive to match what i have in front.


there is ALOT more to cover when modding cars. again... its NOT cheap. pretty much the formula goes

Fast - Cheap - Reliable = Choose 2

to keep things really cheap, you're going to have to do labour yourself. these cars are very labour intensive and thats were alot of the $$$ is spent.

good luck :D
 
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