Alright b/o/ys. I posted a few months ago and I figured some of y'all might like an update. Everything is starting to come together on my build. I'm now in possession of all the parts I need for this build and engine assembly and the swap are going to take place in the next few weeks. I'm going to list off everything I have for the build in the next couple posts and explain my goals and such. Feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer them the best I can.
For those that don't know the backstory, I threw a rod bearing in my 2003 WRX about 4 months ago. So I'm building the engine while it's out of the car and making it better than before. I figured it'd be good to post about my experience and put something real on here for once.
you sticking to the 5spd when you're building an engine for more power?
Joseph Diaz
Answer this now, why limit yourself like that?
Justin Walker
So here's the deal. The engine should now be limited by the stock crankshaft (forged) and the fact that it's an open deck block as well. This means the engine will be 500+whp capable. I'm planning to go with a ported and polished Subaru TD05H-16G that I just finished rebuilding. It should spool fairly well and I'm hoping to hit around 310whp with it although I know that may be a bit ambitious. I have the newer injectors that I already listed but I've also decapped the stock injectors on the car and I will clean them and flow test them. They should flow around 610cc if not more. I'll make sure they're fairly close in range and if they aren't I'll buy another set or two and use the four that are the closest together as a future upgrade. I'm also considering a 20G compressor wheel with a machined TD05H-16G compressor housing to fit it for increased power.
Good job picking that out. The Impreza/WRX 5mt is known to go around 300whp (granted this is with people launching and slamming gears which I don't plan to do). However the known issue is that the transmission housing twists under heavy torque changes and this causes misaligned gears which makes them shred each other. Moore Performance designed "Blast Plates" with custom 10.9 long bolts that bolts around and through the transmission to stop it from twisting. There are multiple cases of people using these plates on cars with 500whp+. I don't ever plan to run 500whp anyways as that no fun in a daily driver where you have a very small range of useable power. A six speed swap is very intensive and is pretty damn expensive as well.
Camden Morgan
You should of held off and swapped in an STI 6spd and differentials instead of trying to reinforce that 5spd, goodluck user hope all goes well
Justin Reed
Sounds like you've actually planned it out, keep us posted on how the build goes.
Blake Thomas
Nah, a six speed swap would cost upwards of $2500. I would need both diffs, the driveshaft, and all the axles. I don't plan on launching the car or slamming gears. If it was a race car I would agree, but I'm not going to be driving it like that. Also the review and testimonials with the blast plates have really sold me. Guy have been running them on five speeds making 500wtq for over 30,000 miles and counting. So it's a chance I'm willing to take. Worst case scenario, I blow the trans, pick up a new one for $300, and turn down the boost to safer level.
Yeah I've been trying to plan it as much as I can. This is my first engine build and swap, but I'm working with someone who has some engine building and swapping experience. I'm double checking all of my work. I plan to have the car E-tuned by Torqued Performance who has phenomenal reviews and their tunes are known for having less knock than most Cobb protunes. Should be a good time as long as no big issues pop up.
Eli Robinson
Are you going to stop with the E-Tune or are you eventually going to get it on a dyno?
Jace Garcia
The car is going to be an ongoing project. So down the road I plan on going with a larger turbo, meth injection, probably a six speed swap, and at that point, I'll take it to a dyno and have it tuned there. Right now, I don't need the extra little bit of power and there's nothing really crazy going on that a tuner would really benefit from having in person. When I get it dyno tuned I'll probably get a speed density tune vs a map tune. That's just too much work for an e-tune. Also I'm going to school down south and the closest place that does dyno tunes is Atlanta and that's pretty far away. Just not worth hours of my time, and more money, for the minor improvements I would see.
Carter Baker
can you post pics of the bearing and how did the oil look(was it full of metal?)
Jace Ortiz
I have a second machined block, so there is still an engine in the car. However, I did drain the oil when I was first diagnosing what was wrong, and while there weren't a ton of metal shavings in the oil, there were a few, and I suspect if I cut open the oil filter I'd find a ton. When I first notice the knock, I drove it gently home because lets be honest, once it's knocking consistently it's not getting any fucking better. By the time I got home it was knocking LOUD. So I assume most of the oil shavings have now gone through the oil pump and filter. I'll know more then the engine comes out and I drop the oil pan and get a good look at the bearings.
Pic related, the shavings I got out of the oil.
Andrew Russell
Good job user.
Please leave that exterior alone and put on some amazing tires.
Dominic Edwards
I only have a few plans for the exterior. I really don't like how small the 16" wheels look on the car. I plan to eventually go up to a 17" set of wheels that are about an inch wider, but I want multispoke golds like I have currently. The car is going on Prodrive springs which will lower it by about an inch which is perfect imo. I want some wing stabilizers for that rally look, and I eventually plan to get a front spliter and rear diffuser, But the car is really going to look mostly the same.
Camden Allen
Pls no wing stabilizers, they look so horrible
Adrian Reyes
HNGGGG I think they looks so good.
Owen Flores
The smaller wheels with thicker tires is better for traction.
Take a hint from people who turn for a living, sidewall is a good thing.
Gavin Sanchez
18" square setup would be best imo
Cameron Howard
Oh yeah I agree. A lot of guys run 18-20" wheels on STIs and WRXs. The stock STI wheel size is 17" and the stock WRX size is 16". I'm only going to be moving up to the stock STI size. the 16" wheel just has HUGE sidewalls and a wheel that's an inch larger in diameter is going to reduced sidewall thickness by only a half inch which I expect will be perfect.
Brody Ortiz
18s are just a bit too big and look a little ricer to me. I have a friend with a silver blobeye STI and his 18s look just a little too big for the car. 17s with thick tires are the place to be. Plus thicker sidewalls mean I don't have to worry quite as much about potholes and the such.
Michael Barnes
I guess 17s would be alright.
I like the older rally look to yours tho.
Everyone has big wheels. You're different.
Adrian Lopez
>$300
Where the fuck are you finding WRX 5 speed gearboxes for $300? People in my area want nearly 4 times that.
Jackson Lee
>300whp >priceless
Connor Torres
Have you seen any in person?
I used to love the look too until I saw a few and changed my mind a bit.
It wasn't to the level of "Oh god that's ugly" but no longer something I would want to do.
Levi Watson
Thanks man. Yeah I'm not a fan of the whole huge wheels thing. My AW11 has 15s.
I've seen a couple but not up close, only in passing on the street. I liked what I saw but who knows how I'll feel once I see it on the car! The other option is a gurney flap which has a good look as well and helps with downforce. Pic related
Michael Lewis
at 280 wheel horsepower that tranny wont last 30k. you'll have a fun 30k. Maybe you're right about the blast plates. but i've been in on nearly the same build as the one you're doing now and i can tell you that after 30k the transmission was 10 different kinds of fucked up.
Thomas Campbell
Oh man, I remember you. You're the kid in college, right? I'm glad you didn't scrap it, it's far too nice of a car to get rid of like that.
Brayden Cox
>granted this is with people launching and slamming gears nah, it's not. The trans isn't gonna take that power man. If you think it's worth the money to keep swapping 5 speeds in go for it, but it's gonna fucking die on you at 300whp either way
Joshua Peterson
Well I haven't heard anyone with blast plates that is having transmission failures whatsoever. If I end up blowing a trans, I'll take the power back down until I can get a six speed into it.
You got it man. I'm on a pretty good scholarship so I'm just taking out some extra student loans to cover the build cost since I'm going to pay of my loans in just a year or two anyways. I'm pretty excited about it all.
Joseph Mitchell
Nice car and fun build, OP. Really interested in how the blast plates turn out, keep us inf/o/rmed once you've got them on. You may also want to consider a different TMIC than an STi one as they aren't much bigger. And a bigger radiator, the stock ones are flimsy as hell. Nearly killed my new motor. In the middle of a build on my bugeye wagon too. My head gaskets went on me two years ago so I got myself an IAG stage 2 for the old girl. My parts list, already all installed: Resurfaced and ported the stock heads Grimmspeed intercooler STi hood scoop Grimmspeed TMIC STi splitter 18g Blouch turbo Grimmspeed turbo heatshield (get a shield too, or your intercooler turns into a heat sink) DeatschWerks 1000cc fuel injectors TGV deletes Walbro 255 fuel pump Mishimoto radiator Mishimoto silicone hoses for all ancillary/coolant hoses TurboXS cast iron uppipe that I've heat wrapped A 2 piece, 3" catless turboback exhaust from ebay that the PO had on when purchased (these pipes are junk, already have a new catted TurboXS 4" bellmouth DP that I've heat wrapped up to the cat pipe and am purchasing a Stromung 3" catback to put onto that) OZ 17" Ultraleggeras with good rubber for summer, 2011 wrx 17"stockies with good rubber for winter FEAL 441 coilovers with custom valving for the rears due to the wagon's weight difference compared to sedan Stoptech slotted rotors, sport pads, brake fluid ACT heavy duty performance street disc clutch kit and a resurfaced flywheel Tomioka Racing reinforced silicone turbo inlet hose Used to have the same K&N intake as you, but then after researching a bit I'd found that the stock intake actually tends to perform better than any intakes that stay in the engine bay Car is running on a break-in tune by Matt from Transcendent Tuning in MA. Haven't even felt the turbo or been able to go over 4k rpm yet. The break in has been such a long, slow, painful process as life just keeps on keeping on.
William Russell
I plan on finishing the exhaust, getting a KillerB oil pan+pickup, and new oil and water pumps before I bring it in to be tuned properly by Matt. Less then 700 miles left, can't wait. This tune is going to be a conservative one as I relearn the car and begin to re-sort out the suspension and brakes. I already intend on swapping out for an STi 6 speed/drivetrain and on doing the sedan wide wagon conversion. So I'm going to work with what I've already got and save up for a few months and then see how I can part it together. I've had my eye on an imported s202 front clip that has the complete drivetrain as well since 2016 that's been in these guys' warehouse since 2013. Gonna do a bunch bunch of frame bracing while it's all apart in this time. After that, it's just gonna be a case of finding what I like power-wise while always working to dial it in. Also going to get a a light bar and skid plates at some point after I've gotten the tune before I do the body/drivetrain conversion. I want so badly to build this car into a rally car body wise, but I'm going to build it to be a pavement monster. So I'm going to make it look like a 'back roads time attack' car. Should be fun, unless I crash it or the rust kills it before I've gotten to the body. Then I'll get to buy a new body, strip it bare and build it 'right' from the ground up. Sorry for the long walls of text, hope I'm not hijacking.
Owen Rivera
Nah you're not hijacking! Back road warrior is my goal as well. Be careful wrapping anything that's cast iron as it'll rust extremely quickly. I was going to wrap my AW11's headers until I read about guys having them fall apart in under a year. It'll last long if you spray a moisture barrier under and ontop of the wrap.
Checkout the difference between the years of intercoolers. The 06 STI one is substantially smaller than the 2013 STI one. I mean the 2013 one is thicker and wider by a good bit. But yeah I need to get a turbo heat blanket but that can wait until after the engine is a bit more broken in. Turbo blankets are proven to increase torque and spool. Also the stock intake (upgraded filter) is only a restriction once you're pushing over 300whp. You should also look at an upgraded turbo inlet if you don't have one already. Along with a slight port and polish on the turbo you'll be spooling much quicker.
I should probably get a new radiator though... I have the S202 grill with the JDM Projector headlights as well. All the STI getup on the car including the JDM front clip is from the previous owner. I also have strut tower braces, I plan to get an H-brace, and at some point I'll do swaybars and bushings. Right now it's just about getting the car back on the road and through the break-in process.
JDM front end goodies 04 STI sideskirts Tanabe gf210 springs only in the front to counter rear sag Audi a4 endlinks in the rear (lol) heard they fit and they're only 18 bucks on ebay so I had to try it as my stock ones were shot. They're basically same as stock
That's basically it. I have a cobb accessport with the stage 2+ tune making 18lbs of boost on the td04 but under WOT my clutch slips.
Next steps are coilovers, ACT deavy duty clutch kit and lightweight flywheel, STI trans mounts, vf39, STi intercooler and injectors and a new fuelpump. Going to try my luck at a tune over the internet too because there aren't any good pro tuners near me. Maybe I'll take the cobb tuning class and learn how to do some stuff on my own, who knows.
Benjamin Myers
I don't know why anyone would post a build thread on Veeky Forums. Reminds me of that scene at the end of the titanic when that bitch tosses that huge ass jewel into the ocean, except instead of a regular ocean it's an ocean of shit and piss.
Charles Barnes
This is the wagon guy. I'm currently living in upstate NY as well, and from what I've been reading on NASIOC and the other forums is that all the good NY tuners are either in the tri-state/NJ area or you need to go even further out of your way. Do the 04 side skirts clip right into where the 03's go? These stock ones are just about the ugliest thing I've ever seen on a car from factory. I'm using DEI titanium wrap, and they claim that you don't need to worry about the silicone coating needed with their older style wraps. We'll have to see in the long run, the pipe was a freebie from my neighbors old WRX so I won't cry if it does fail on me. And I just realized How small an AW11 must actually be. Your bugeye looks modern car sized next to that thing, and my wagon is one of the smallest cars out in the parking lot. Also really highlights the body design differences, the wedge looks even wedgier and the bugeye looks even rounder. Oh, and if you do decide it's worth travelling to Atlanta to get on a dyno I'd suggest TopSpeed Motorsports. Good guys who love their crazy builds. I was talking to them back before my old engine died on me. Was originally planning on doing the drivetrain and body first, then taking my sweet time with building the engine and they were the shop I was talking to for the stuff I'm to chickenshit to do myself back when I was stationed in GA. I'm super jealous of the STi lights and other front end stuff y'all got going on. Looking forward to ditching the ugly USDM lights. Trying to find some LHD Euro lights, not sure if I want to spend the money on JDM ones just to risk ruining them by cutting on them to make them good for driving in the US. How much work was it to get the JDM fender lights going?
Gavin Peterson
We have AWD, we'll get through it.
Evan Reyes
There's about five of us who aren't here to shill or shit post.
For those five it's nice to see an actual car with actual work done to it.
YMMV if you aren't one of those five.
Carter Roberts
OP here
Nice Bugeye! I was running a XPT Stage 2 opensource tune up until my bearing went and that was peaking at 17psi. Be wary of the lightweight flywheel. It can throw misfire codes so make sure you can clear those codes with your AP when they popup. It's really amazing how the JDM grill cleans up the front of the car desu. Also, there are aluminum endlinks that are kartboy copies on ebay now that are dirt cheap too, I'm thinking of picking up a set, but I've heard they don't do much with a stock swaybar? XPT has good OTS tunes and as I said, Torqued Performance is who I plan to use and he has great reviews.
As said, I'm not posting for the majority of Veeky Forums. I'm posting for some of the guys that actually know shit, and I'm posting for the kids in hope that they see something they can actually learn from. Plus it's fun for me because you have guys coming in here talking shit out their ass and you have guys talking about how they have a similar build and what they're going through and such. It's just a blast to watch it all unfold.
Mason Ortiz
OP again
I'm from south central PA and there's IAG Performance down in Maryland but I'm in Alabama for school so there's no one fucking down here to tune. I did managed to scrape up some aftermarket side skirts in really rough shape but they're WRB and look so much better than the shitty black plain stock ones. I plan to clean them up, do a respray, and slap them on. Supposedly they just bolt right up and I'd assume the 04 ones would be the same. DEI is the way to go if you're doing a wrap so that's good to hear. I've also heard great things about TopSpeed. The whole front clip and wing was done by the previous owner, not me, so I can't tell you how he wired up the fender lights but personally I would just splice them into the parking light wires. The stock lights really are fugly. If I were you I'd consider the cheapo ebay route with some black trim headlights. Pic related are $140 on ebay right now and would be a huge improvement over stock.
And yes, the AW11 is really tiny although it looks bigger than it is in solo pictures because it's wider than stock and everything is properly proportioned lol. When I bought my Bugeye all I had was my AW11 and I thought it was so much larger but it's still the second smallest car in my apartment's parking lot down here. The two cars really do contrast each other well in every sense. Driving style and power delivery is so different that it's really a joy to drive both. They're my two (realistic) dream cars from my childhood so now I'm just working on making both better. Eventually I want to do a 20V swap in my AW11.
Isaiah Garcia
Hey I'm with you guys, more power to ya. Anything to make this shithole a better place. I'd join you but I have an Audi so all my attempts at actual discussion about my car here go about as well as you can imagine. And posts on audizine last more than a couple days, so they can help people with their builds for years down the line.
