Vortex

@savage bulldogs Hi, yes the 14mm stud conversion is definitely on the todo list. AFAIK RCM do 14mm/12mm studs and 14mm/14mm studs. The prices for the head-studs are ridiculous, but RCM are the only ones that do this I think? (ARP used to but can't find anything anymore) Another thing I'm considering is what they call a "fire"-ring or "O-ring" where the cylinder deck is machined with a small groove, in which a copper wire is placed. This according to the internet people, compresses against the gasket making a much better seal and avoiding leaks and gasket problems. I've looked on eBay for months on EJ25 cams, and this is what I've gotten so far: pre-2003 models have no AVCS (STi) and WRX didn't get it until much later (2008 I think?) post-2003 have single AVCS which you just plug the holes, and use the non-AVCS cam gears post-2008 have dual AVCS which is not easy to use with EJ205 heads, the cam gears are different The reason I'm looking into single-AVCS STi cams is pricing: Tomei, Piper, Cosworth (and other cams) are all north of 700 quid, and I'm not looking for too aggressive cams, as I'd like the torque to be low-mid rather than mid-top. A common setup I've seen is with Tomei ponpon cams running 250 Intake, 256 Exhaust. In comparison, EJ25 cams **I think** are 256/256. I've also read a few horror stories of people running 270/270 cams which made the car undrivable, idle roughly and bog down at low rpm. Finally, I'm mechanically inclined and can't afford to spend 5K+ on an motor... The problem with STi cams on eBay is that the markings I've seen don't show up on any Google search. Asking the eBay sellers is usually not helpful, most often they don't even know the year of the car they came from. Hollow STi cams seem to be from early single-AVCS EJ25 (2005-2007) which is what I'm after. Later AVCS are not hollow, and dual AVCS you can tell by the holes on both exhaust and intake cam. Most eBay sellers will sell them one-by-one, or two at a time, but I'd rather not risk it and would rather buy all 4 together. I'm taking the heads apart once I've got the compression tool, and I'll be documenting it. I'm more inclined to make YouTube videos, but I need the pics and data in order to make sure I have a reference point for later on, as this will probably take months. I've been looking to find a company to nitridate the valves for extra hardness, so any recommendations or advise is welcome. A.

@stants I think a lot of it is condensation, one of the crank breathers was not pushed in properly, I'm also getting a considerable amount of blow-by because the motor now has about 112K miles. It is also a very small can, about 200ml or less I think, so that's not helping. I've emptied it two weeks ago, so I'll try and actually see at what mileage I have to empty it.

I've decided to try Tomei springs for EJ20/EJ25 motors. They are rated at same dimensions, and are slightly stiffer in order to avoid high RPM vale float. I'll come back, posting pictures and videos of taking them apart, cleaning them and rebuilding them, mostly for my records but also in case it helps someone else. For the engine, I'll make a cast of the water jackets with wax, and then try to design in CAD the inserts, have them CNC and then get a nearby machinist to press them in. The block needs a few minor fixes (helicoil a water pump bolt hole, decking and skimming, boring, etc). I'll try to document that too. Not sure if I should start a new topic.

@Tidgy NASIOC is full of swaps like that. I've found Cosworth cams for 850 and Piper for 750, but I don't think I can justify such a cost ATM. I think I'll lower my expectations, forge the internals, and maybe get stiffer valve springs and rebuild the heads after I get them ported. I think that anything below 500Whp is doable on a smaller budget, but moving over 500Whp/700Hp is becoming a lot more expensive, and right now I'd mostly like to enjoy the car in events. Any advice on valve springs? People seem to prefer 70lb springs. I think the goal would be a Borg Warner EFR 8374, not sure of trim, but I'd like mid to high rpm curve.

I have a Mishimoto catch can, the small one, and let me tell you; it's too small! Needs weekly emptying. Go for a larger one if you can afford it. As far as hooking it up, there's a lot of options, I went for the simplest one, which is to connect the head breathers with a T in one of the catch can inlets, the crank breather in the other, and the outlet back to the intake pipe. Delete the PCV as they are prone to problems. Others have told me not to upset the pressure system by using two catch cans, but I've had mine for the past 4000 miles and so far it works fine, apart from some condensation which is annoying.

I believe the stock internals should be OK for about 380Hp. Yes I pulled that number out of thin air. I currently have an EJ205 with a seized piston and banana con-rod that was running 360 but had a bad tune. My WRX is at 340 with a VF34 and a lot of supporting mods, but my tuner did not feel comfortable pushing it higher (running at 1.4Bar). It is all relative, and depends on how much you look after your engine. I'd be more worried about the gearbox TBH.

Hi Tidgy, Thanks for the advice. I'm generally sceptical about what's on nasioc, albeit I have seen some interesting posts. Currently the car is lightly tuned: full decat exhaust, up-pipe, downpipe, only the exhaust headers are stock full suspension (tein) and whiteline ARB, etc... TMIC HyperFlow, KN Air filter VF34 with P20 housing and 1 bar actuator pink injectors, TGV deletes, theral spacers, etc Brembos front and rear TDR in Warwick have tuned it to 340Hp/338Tq or 287Whp. The turbo can do more, but the tuner thinks I'll brake the 5 speed if he does and the current motor is a bit old at 112K miles. I am getting some blow-by, and have put a baffled oil catcher in place, but eventually the motor will go. I'll use the same shell (the 2004 Blobeye Wagon) since I already have it, and have gotten used to it, and because quite a lot of work has been done to it. I understand it's not ideal, that it is a bit heavier than the sedan, but it will have to do. For the moment I'll keep it road trim, have as much fun as I can over the Spring/Summer/Autumn, and then next winter I'll strip it for a roll cage, etc. I've already got the 2nd block to use, an EJ205 which I'm thinking of pining (similar to close decking, but more ghetto and cheaper since they use alum rods to hold in place the deck of the cylinders). I'd like to go cheap as possible as it's my first time doing this, and I'll be doing most of the work myself. So I'm thinking of forging the internals: Manley 2.1 pistons, already have a EJ25 79mm stroke crank, and probably BC 625+ conrods, or something rated at around 700Hp. I'd like to leave about 50-100Hp "breathing" space, so in reality 600Hp at the crank? My current issue is that AFAIK the heads of EJ205 are ok, might do some light porting, since I don't want to do the AVCS conversion, but I could benefit from EJ257 cams since they are considerably more aggressive and open at the top? I'll keep the same valves, and change springs, retainers, maybe seats, and have them seated properly, etc. Going for aftermarket cams is quite expensive, and the valves and stems appear ok, so I'm thinking that with some reconditioning and nitridating they could withstand 600Hp. I plan to update to a 6 speed gearbox as the first step, then drop in the motor I'm talking about using the ported VF34, and then finally update the turbo, injectors, fuel rails, etc. This is a long term project and I'm not in a hurry to finish it, as the car is already fun to drive. It is currently my daily driver, but I don't commute much, and I'm already looking for an economic daily car, meaning this will soon be just for weekend fun. Do you know if it is possible to identify EJ25 cam generations, simply by looking at their AVCS holes and whether they are hollow or not? Many thanks!

Hello, I recently bought an ej205 long block from a '03 WRX as a spare which I plan to build for approx 450/500Whp for some fun on the track, time attack and similar. I know I'll need to either pin the block or do the closed deck conversion. Following a lot of threads and countless nights of reading on NASIOC I understand that EJ257 cams will fit the EJ205 heads, provided I close/weld the AVCS holes. I also plan on getting them nitridated in order to increase hardness/stiffness of the cams and valves. I've been looking on eBay and I have found 2 RHS cams from a GDB/Hawkeye STI, and theres another chap selling 2 LHS cams from an STI EJ25 without knowing which model it is. As far as I understand, 06-07 STi cams are single AVCS and should all be hollow? Whereas later cams ('08 onwards) are dual AVCS and are not hollow? Is it safe to assume if it's hollow its a single AVCS and therefore an 06-07 STi cam? Can I tell the difference by the AVCS holes instead? I want to stick with single AVCS since the gears should be the same with the non AVCS heads I'll be using? I've tried looking for part numbers or other identification but Google isn't being helpful at all. I would greatly appreciate any help with this, as it's doing my head in, and don't want to buy something on eBay that I'd have to resell.

Got around to fitting the hyperflow this weekend. I was just testing it to see if/how/where it would fit, but sadly I can't get the OEM plastic hose to fit on the turbo again, so I decided to leave it there (I know i'll have a boost drop). It is quite larger, but it fits. The rubber seal of the intercooler tray is seriously pressed against it, but it fits. I've also noted some blow-by oil in the manifold and old intercooler that got me worried, so I'm looking into installing a catch can, and maybe a PCV delete. Also, I got a fibreglass hood scoop and a second hand hood, so once they are painted they will get installed.

@Jay762 That is actually a very good idea. I think the stock brackets should fit the hyperflow, it is supposed to be installed using them. I'll give it a try sometime in December and see if it fits. I could also use the existing undertray and open it up about an inch with an angle grinder, but I can easily see how a mock-up cardboard tunnel would serve as a fibreglass mould! Thanks for the idea :-)

Here are the pics. The beast in all its glory, then the WRX intercooler tray (see how small it is compared to the intercooler?), then the STi intercooler undertray, and the gap left on the side. I'm thinking maybe I can remove the rubber skirt and see if I can use something similar but slightly wider/larger.

I've got one of those haha issues: I bought a hyperflow TMIC on ebay for 280 which seemed like a decent deal since STi ones go for 250. Problem is it is larger than an STi intercooler. Much much larger. Since I have a WRX I've got to change the intercooler tray (the metal thingie that sits between scoop and TMIC) and the scoop itself because it won't fit the STi TMIC tray. But even this one is small for the hyperflow, about 1 inch smaller in width and half an inch in height. Has anyone ever run across one of them, installed one of them? Apart from just ignoring the difference in size, I don't know what to do (I'm prepared to ask a colleague to design me a custom one in CAD but that will be super pricey). I'll upload some pics soon. Cheers, A.

I know I'm resurrecting a zombie post. I was with Admiral for 6 years, always around 700-750. Then I bought my WRX and they asked for 1,500 and I tried to negotiate a more realistic price, saying I've gotten better deals, but they weren't interested. I tried other quotes from online sources (moneysupermarket, etc) and they all seemed to come around 1.5K. Then I tried a Sky quote, and it was 380 plus covering the cost of all modifications. It was a no-brainer. I think anyone intending to do or having mods, should def go with a specialist broker.

@Tidgy yeah I kinda got that, apart from suspension I also need some fixes with the engine cradle and radiator support frame, so I guess 12/13 hours isn't that bad. I'm stuck looking for new insurance, my policy runs out and all the quotes I get are £1K+ and it's driving me crazy...

Hi Jay, I got different quotes and to be fair I think TDR are the place to go, others said "I'm not sure how long it will take" and some just openly said they won't do it. I think some of the nuts/bolts might need cutting because they seem too rusted. I've managed to source all the parts myself, some for a bargain price. I'm not changing bushes, apart from the ones that already come with the Whiteline kits (ARB, anti-lift, drop links, etc). Reason is Mark from TDR told me not too since this will be a daily driver it would ruin the ride for me, and it seems to make sense. My aim is to have a very sporty dd, so I've gone with: - STi control arms - Tein basis Z - Whiteline ARB 22mm front, 24 mm back (should make it oversteer rather than understeer?) - Whiteline drop links front (for STi, Mark suggested it is worth an upgrade) and back ones - Whiteline anti-lift kit - Whiteline bump steer kit - Compbrake camber plates (front only) If it wasn't for the need to fix some rusted parts (radiator support and engine cradle) I would have kept it under 1K which hopefully would be a good upgrade. I've also gotten a pair of stainless steel/teflon brake lines because I know from motorcycles it makes a big difference in the braking feel. I might take some before-after pictures for !Removed! and giggles.

Hi, I'm a defector from the German side. Always wanted a scooby and finally took the plunge and bought a "practical" car, a WRX Wagon blobeye (at least that's how I sold it to the gf). I've got a bit of a dilemma, this will be my daily drive, but I also want some performance out of it. Recently serviced it at TDR in Warwick, and I've decided to upgrade all suspension parts since this is quite an old car. Spent about 1400 on ARB from Whiteline, links, STi control arms, Tein coilovers, steering kit, etc, and I was told that it would require 12 to 13 hours of work to fit it all! Isn't this a bit excessive? I mean, there are a lot of parts being replaced, but 12 hours?! Anyhow, looking to get other quotes from the West Midlands region, so I would appreciate any recommendations on mechanics/garages in Coventry, Leamington, Warwick or Leicester.