MrRtm

Long story short, idle tensioner shat itself on the motorway about a month ago, tore down the engine to find a spun bearing and serious scoring on the crank to compliment it, rebuild time, after said month of weighing up my options on a rebuild I've determined I will not get the power I'm after without jdm big port heads, or the 2k equivalent eg cosworth but still from what I've found in my digital travels most will still regard jdm big ports as the best base even if you flow/port in the future. Seeing as it seems you can't get a set for any less than 1300 bare (apart from a 400 set on ebay currently that look like they had a fight with a tank) that's adding a good few months on the already 6-9 it's going to take me to afford to rebuild this properly and to the spec I/we want (I love my wife).
The Mrs is getting antsy, she misses the car and driving it more than I do, I don't think she'll last a year.

So it makes sense to me to get a decent enough used jdm engine with said big port heads, change the cambelt and pulleys (because I'm not getting caught out like that again thanks) to drop in for the mean time while I gather parts and funds over the next year. (the outlay for the jdm engine adding a few more months but gives us a driveable car in the meantime and a less antsy wife)

I won't initially be running the avcs as that means an ecu upgrade which I will do either before or as part of the big build but from my understanding it'll work being disconnected but slightly retard the cams. I'll probably look into the ecu for summer tbh. The car will be getting remapped due to paranoia, its ran almost 400 on a standard wrx lump for over 7 years but I question if it's actually been mapped for it. In my paperwork I have proof of it being mapped and a dyno shortly after at 286, but the next 3 power increases have no relatable receipts for mapping only a dyno. It could of been done right but for peace of mind a remap will be on the cards and from what I know Andy Carr isn't far away.

So, back to the original question, what's a reasonable price for a working jdm sti engine with big port heads?
and who would you trust enough go buy one from? (MattyB is a given so any other recommendations )

Cars a 2003 wrx btw and no I don't need or want to sell up and get an sti, this has everything it could possibly need (bar a working engine right now lol)

harry007

Hello. Try Saj Jap Performance Parts

NOSSY_89

Have you spoken to Alyn about getting normal STI heads to JDM big port head level. That way you could buy a normal STI engine and when you're ready for the rebuild you can use that same block.

MrRtm

I contemplated it but I'd still have to buy the sti heads in the first place and proper head work can cost 1.5k in itself from what I've found. Alyn will be my first port of call for all my engine work in the future tho, got my headers, up pipe and clutch from him and he was a pleasure to deal with. I've seen some complaints about the hs up pipes recently but mine was a work of art tbh.

Just after I posted this I saw MattyB had a jdm bug sti engine for 2k but it's already sold which is unfortunate as it's been said it's the strongest variant. Looking further sprinting hare have a spec c engine available on fleabay for 2850 and a guy on facefu*k is selling an 06 jdm sti engine for just under 2k delivered. Only problem with that one is he's an unknown and private seller which adds risk, although he says he bought it as a cat for parts for his sti, which he also seems to be now breaking. Personally I'd like to minimize risk, mainly because I can't afford not to, a duff engine that I can't afford to replace again means I'm off the road for a couple of years which isn't a viable or desirable option.

stockcar

do you mean Harvey Smith up-pipes or Hayward & Scott ??
we don't have any issues and nor have we BUT I am aware of a certain company who has tried to copy our designs and is putting out very poor items!!!

if you have any links then please email the office

adam.pah

Buying a secondhand engine is a big risk, I speak from experience. I wouldn't do it again.
Spend the money and get it done properly even if you have to save for it.
If I had to go down the rebuild route now I would probably use a brand new crate EJ207 bottom end rather than trying to rebuild my existing one.

MrRtm

So, after getting my offer to sprinting hare for the spec C engine rejected and no reply to my enquires of what he'd take if I bought off ebay and avoided fees that's off the table.

The Facebook one after speaking more to the guy it seems he can't guarantee the health of the engine and hasn't seen it running so being an unknown as well as a private seller that too is off the table.

Que MB listing a forged 2.1 207 with wrx heads this morning and I've gone with it. Being from a pole position car I have no doubts about the quality or health of the engine

OK I don't get the big port heads but I can always buy a jdm engine with some on in the future, swap heads with the relevant work then resell it or whatever and run close to 600 with little effort. It still works out for me right now and will actually work out costing less in the long run. I had a build list of a 600 capable short block costing close to 4k in parts/machining, I've just got that for half the price which pays for the jdm heads in the future.

Will be fitting the engine next week and getting Andy Carr to map it when he's available. Now just to deal with the fact that I had to sorn it last week because you can't mot a car without an engine and you can't get a car road mapped without an mot. I'm going to assume I can get a base map for mot and have it properly mapped after, if not guess I'm trailering it to a rr.
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Anyway to answer my own question, current price of a used JDM engine with big port heads is around 2k, hopefully they are still around the same price or MB get in a set for a decent price around next summer.

MrRtm

I have one of your trick up pipes, it was a thread on Facebook I stumbled into, just found it and yeah it might be Hayward and Scott. It just said hs and I assumed, apologies, I didn't believe it anyway as what I've had from you recently is perfect.
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It's wasn't being bought to run indefinitely, it was being bought as a way to get jdm big port heads for a proper build I planned to do mid next year, just using the engine for those 9-12 months until I had all the funds to do it. But as you can see I have just bought a different engine from MB, being from them and the source of the engine I don't doubt it's quality or health. No big ports but I still plan to rebuild it with big ports in the next year or so, really I've just spent the money on the short block before the heads instead of the other way round.