Dubber91

Wow, ok that's really helpful. So an sti block with (possibly) forged pistons and updated head bolts looks like the consensus. Ancillaries wise a td05 with charge or inter cooler and aftermarket ECU is the go. Anything else I should do?

Ok so an sti bottom end will handle that no probs? What's the difference between Earle and late bottom end bearings? Was there an improvement on the later engines? What about heads? Sti the way to go? For the sake of £400 I'm sure I could stretch to some forged pistons but would it be worth arp bolts or head work? Seve

I have worked with rotten chargers and to be honest I'm not a massive fan given the cost; I think I'd rather go turbo as I'm guessing I'd be looking at a c30 or bigger..... It may be a nicer thing to mount in the little engine bay though......

Thanks miggs! Yes that'd be really helpful; from what I gather taking an sti motor to 350hp is a more simple job than taking a wrx motor to the same level; although by the sounds of it a hybrid of both sti bottom end and wrx ancillaries (turbo etc) seems to be the way to go. If there is a proven spec-list of an engine that makes that power reliably, I'd appreciate it. It at least gives me something to work too even if it means cutting a few corners and saving a few pennies here and there.....

Thanks miggs; yup aware of VZI, I've done a few engine conversions in the past so not too worried about that. Have my own ECU it was the base engine that I was worried about. Do the STIs come with forged pistons? I was looking at a 94 v2 eJ20.... I'm assuming td05 Isn't standard on any engines?

Engine Build advice- 300-350 fwhp Chaps, New to this forum and thought I'd start by initiating a discussion on the build of a decent-spec subaru motor for use in an alternative vehicle; in this case a classic VW beetle. So I'm searching for base engines, and plan on rebuilding from the crank up to a completely finished motor. The question is, what engine should I start with in order to achieve the ultimate goal of 300-350 flywheel Hp? I understand that the 93- STI motors are the units with fully forged bottom ends, and closed deck block, meaning they are more suitable for high power applications. But is this necessary? I've always been a bigger fan of displacement; would going EJ25 turbo be a better route? In which case, which engine should I look for? I'd like to avoid sleeving blocks and expensive engineering exercises; but am happy to port, modify and lighten where necessary. Are the stock forged pistons good enough? Should I be looking at later base engines? Finally, what spec would you look for externally? Turbo, injectors etc? I already have an ECU lined up and am happy to tune myself- I've a fair amount of experience on this. Cheers for the advice in advance. Steve