Hi everyone.

I'm currently owning a MY97 turbo wagon which is a left hand drive euro spec model. It has a full stock engine and transmission.

Those two are slowly getting worn-out and at the same time I find myself willing to do more and more track work with my car, which is an everyday drive.

However, I'm planning to change things in about a year from now. The Impreza is going to be a week-end car only.

Therefore, I've planned a major engine, transmission and brakes upgrade.
However, I want to keep it cost-effective because I'd also love to buy a Westfield Hayabusa or that sort of totally insane machine...I'm basically keeping the scoob because I just love'em !


This is what I would love to have :

- STI V5/6 complete engine (I love revvy engines and I'm dying for 8000 rpm!) looking for no more than 320 hp / 42 m.kg of torque.

- cost-effective gearbox with DCCD to match the engine.

- front : I need a LSD and StopTech 332x32mm 4 caliper brakes.

- rear : LSD + brembo 2 caliper brakes.

- latest 114 stud pattern bearings/hubs.


The car is going to have a 22b wide arch kit fitted too.



My questions to you fellows :

1) Which gearbox do you recommend ? I guess the STI 5/6 Type RA is a good compromise for cost / weight
2) Font : How do I manage to have the StopTech brakes on 114 hubs ?
3) Front : Which LSD with matching shafts to go on 114 hubs ?
4) Front : What makes the wider track of the newage STI's and what's required to have that track increase on my classic ? (22b kit)
5) Rear : Is the whole STI9 rear setup (LSD + housing/shafts/hubs/bearings/brakes) a good choice ? Any other option ?

I'm looking forward to your remarks and suggestions ! If you could please give me an indicative price of each item needed ?

Thanks in advance !

André

 

UP !

 

Andre'

Have a word with David at Api, he'll offer you good cost effective advice.

Tell him Ns04 says hi

Ns04

 

In my opinion to get where you want to be - you are starting from the wrong place.

The cost of what you wish to do will be so high and time consuming and fraught with one problem after another I think that the scheme will just die in mid conversion.

There are a number of things you can do with that car, I am not sure about a wide body kit for a wagon. but:

I think you'd be better off starting with a later car.

Kind regards David APi

 

By later car, do you mean a new age or a 99-00 model ?

Actually I love my wagon and I'd like to have a "22b" wagon replica, just to see how it would've looked like if Subaru and STI had decided to do one.

My biggest concern I believe is the electrical torch. If I take a complete STI v4 engine with ECU will that sort it out ?

Cost wise the one thing that will cost a lot is the 22b arch fitting.

Because I've seen here classic STI engines + gearbox + diffs go for a thousand quid...

I've just spoken with a guy who's fitted a STI7 engine into a 98 classic, now that was a hell of a pain in the ***

Thanks for your comments APIDavid, but could you please tell me more about what you mean ?

Thanks,

André

 

 

Andre, The cut off point for a simple fix is the difference between MY 98 cars and MY99 cars, no matter UK / Euro car or JDM car.

The only way to upgrade a pre MY98 is to buy a write off 99 onwards and use 'everything'. OR ditch the pre MY98 and start again with an MY99.

The conversion as you wish to do it is possible, just as any conversion is. But the work required can be anticipated and once you consider the prosepct of fitting all the parts that you will want, as a minimum need , you will see that starting with a late model car makes a whole lot more sense. To update the ' old ' car to the 99 spec you will need the whole wiring harness for the whole car which means in simple terms that 'ALL' of the connectors to the controls, heater, wipers, air con, lights fuel pump, anything electrical will have to be changed - all the control switches, everything, to match the new loom. beginning to see the problem ??

The big arch kit is probably just a case of starting wide a glass fibre 22B body kit for a 4 door car and getting a body shop to make it fit the wagon . Obviously the problem is going to be the rear 1/4 panels where there used to be a bootlid. The rest should be relatively easy bodywork wise, as front wings and doors are the same on a 4 door and a 5 door.

Try a search for a STi 5 or 6 Wagon as an STi V limited with Dccd and you are most of the way there. It'll take a while and you cannot import a fresh one from Japan, as they WILL NOT pass an ESVA test. Do not believe anyone that says they can get it through for you, they might be able to by fiddle and bribe, but if it goes wrong the car will be yours, with no hope of registering it until 2009 or 2010 when the car is ten years old and the SVA rules relax rather.

David APi

 

Hi David !

I understand indeed the major difference in electrics as from 99 spec models.

However, I was planning to get a V4 STI type RA engine/gearbox/DCCD/front diffs which are from 1997 if I'm not mistaken.

So there's my question : will the 1997 built STI v4 be plug&play since it's the same built year ?

Regards,

André

 

Sort of, but unless you use the wiring harness too you have no way to control the ECu for the Dccd. Yoiu can get aftermarket set ups for the Dccd but you'll still need a fairly wide ranging change of wiring and connectore.

l am not sure whether the Ecu plugs are either the same or even that the pin outs are the same, you can of course go the A'Pexi route for ecu. it still won't control the dccd but you can at least forget about trying to cobble an sti ecu onto UK wiring

David

 

Ok so basically I'll need to redo the wiring anyhow ? Be it a 99-00 model or not...right ? That's OK it'll take time and patience but people have done it before.

The only way to avoid it is of course to buy a STI wagon but then it's a right hand drive and I'm living in Belgium so really I'll have to start with a left-hand drive euro spec.