Ok, while thinking of ways to get a turbo closer to the exhaust I had a thought and I figured you Subie geniuses could tell me if I'm crazy. Is it possible to swap the heads left to right and mount them upside down? I'm sure it would take a lot of modification but it would allow you to mount the turbo on top of the engine and have a short shot to the exhaust ports. You would probably need to dry sump it and make a custom intake manifold and water-log. Just a random thought I wanted to throw out there?

 

Sure, you're crazy. That was weird.

Not in an "unbolt, swap over, bolt back up" sort of way, no. Would need extensive modification to re-orient the oil and coolant supplies and returns, breathers and so-forth, to the point where it might be quicker to cast new heads than modify existing ones.

There are easier ways to skin that cat - front mounted turbo etc etc. Plus, if, as you say, you're going to dry sump, you can utilise that space to build a shorter manifold in the regular location.

 

now that i look closer the timing belts would be the killer, one of them is much further out from the head than the other to compensate for the cylender offset. oh well, it was a thought.

Edit: I wonder how much difference there is between the intake and exhaust? could you swap valves around, cutting one side bigger and pressing in or somehow putting smaller seats on the other side, and basically reverse the flow of the heads, would need custom cams but it could work, no?

 

There are any number of killers. The orientation of the oil lines screws you over much more than the timing pulleys (which could be worked around fairly easily).

Loads. The inlet ports are a totally different shape and spaced further apart - to account for needing to mate with an inlet manifold carrying fuel injectors. It's a non-starter.

No.