savage bulldogs

Did you have anything else done at the garage ,timing belt ,service ect ? Have you checked the ECU for any stored fault codes or get a garage to do so would be the first step .

Mine got stuck in 3rd when I broke my 5 speed , 3.5k ,hit full boost.....bang, clatter 🙁 I had to use both hand to get it outta 3rd ,then limp it home in 2nd and 4th while getting strange looks of passersby, as the gearbox was rattling really loudly lol .

Think the only stock Subaru engine that would safely run over 400hp is probably the ej207 ,as its a semi closed deck and forged from the factory . Yours will probably be open deck and classic rods and pistons are on their limits at 360 to 38hp ish . A later hawk 5 speed will bolt straight into your set up with just box ,cradle and gear stick linkage . As long as it's the same ratio as your existing box , you find this out by googling both gearboxes ty54 numbers and find one with the same final drive ratio as your existing box n diff . After turning 2 x5 speeds into 4 speeds ,I went for a uk ratio 6 speed which seems to have the best of both worlds. Shorter 1 to 5 than a 5 uk 5 speed but longer 6th for carriageway economy 😉

Looking good with a colour coat on it stu 😎

Not much of a update but I've backed off the actuator arm pre tension and that seems to have brought the afr in closer to where I'd like it 😎 I'd also changed the angle of the turbo intake pipework but since found out the adjustment had caused the pipe to rub on the bonnet 🙄 So I had a search through the box of joiners and ally pipework I have to hand and have added a 90° silicone elbow and a slightly shorter angled piece of pipe . This has repositioned the filter in a better place to get cold air too 😎 So couple of pics of new intake pipework route . And a couple of the car basking in the sun ,after a good coat of wax . only done 75miles so far but so far so good 🤞😊

I assume you've had a sti ej207 or forged engine fitted? As any standard classic engine would be on its limits at 350hp along with any classic gearbox (even sti ones) . A later hawk wrx 5 box usually handle a bit more power but only up to high 300's . 6 speed is the usual upgrade path as they can handle 700hp + (£1.5 k for the box) otherwise if you want to keep the 5 speed gearing, it's fitting a straight cut gearset and converting it to handle the power .(£2.5k+ fitting)

If the clutch is the standard blue box exedy it is ok for 380 hp 350nm ish but if it's the original clutch it might not last long before it starts to slip , if abused on track a lot . Most tend to upgrade to a exedy pink box for fast road occasional track use , they're rated to 450 /450 ish in the slightly bigger dia 6 speed version but 5 speed might be a bit under that (not much though) . Next stage would be a paddle clutch but tbh I've only ever had one paddle clutch and removed it on my road car .As i didn't like the fact it juddered if you tried to slip it (pull away sensibly) so I had to just "step off it" at the lights . The other thing to consider is your fairly close to the 5 speed limits at 350hp and a paddle clutch might be a bit less forgiving. Whichever route brand you chose just make sure the flywheel isn't grooved (get it skimmed if so ) and replace, spigot bearing, rear crank seal , both driveshaft seals and prop seal . As why the box is out it's so much cheaper to replace those labour wise then 😉

Some 2.5's are fine with good service history and when not pushed for too much extra hp .but the 2ltr is generally less prone to headgasket and ringland failure. You should be able to find a nice clean standard ish blobeye wrx and have a bit of change ,to pay for the remap within your budget. As for best choice it depends on whether you'd want more power in the future, as 350 hp is about the limit for the standard wrx engine a 5 speed . Whereas £8k would put you in the sti bug eye onwards ballpark , with better brembo brakes ,sti suspension/interior with a engine and 6 speed gearbox capable of 450hp (gearbox slightly more) There's a buying guide sticky thread in the tech section, that outlines what to look for . The rest is down to personal styling preferences and finding a nice example. Best of luck with the search 👍

Sounds about the right sort of price for a good condition 04 sti , if it's a PPP its probably a sti type UK. So maybe slightly cheaper to insure than a jdm sti but check the rear arches ,front crossmember and sills for rust . As uk salty winters can cause rust issues, theres a impreza buying guide sticky thread in the tech section that points out things to look for . Best of luck , hope it's a goodn 👍

No probs, I mentioned the rear camber bolts as Subaru fit them on the front but not the rear as standard. So this leaves the rear pretty much un adjustable when having a 4 wheel geo set up done 😉

If it's on the bottom half underneath the filter it won't hurt , hell some people even drill holes in the bottom of the airbox ,to increase air flow. Admittedly that increases flow but it let's hot air from inside the bay , into the intake too . Jacob will have one in stock though

Think most replace the pistons and rings with aftermarket in order to avoid issues with ring lands factory rods are good for 380hp afaik but if your thinking of keeping it and can save on labour costs by doing it yourself ? I'd echo what tidgy has said and for the sake of another £300 ish split the block ,inspect the crank journals and fit new shells.

Jdm solutions Suffolk on f.b have had a few bugs and blobeyes In for breaking lately, He posts out quickly and is reasonably priced .

I had a similar issue on my old v3 UK, that turned out to be the passenger side rear shock failing, causing the car to feel unbalanced when turning right . Maybe taking it somewhere that will do a mot or pre mot check would be a good idea, as they should check front and rear bushes ,shocks ,top mounts and ,droplinks as part of the mot .

I'd say not to bother upgrading the front ,unless you intend on doing track days. .id suggest to fit the rear arb ,get some rear camber bolts and spend the extra cash getting a fast road 4 wheel alignment done . I found the elbaich springs ,camber bolts ,rear adjustable arb and a fast road geo , a good set up for our crappy UK roads 👍

Hi n welcome, nice selection of scoobies you've had by the sound of things 😎 Feel free to post some pics up 😉

Well seeing as it's her 26th birthday this month and it's finally in one piece... I took her for a few pints of amber nectar (vpower) to celebrate her birthday 😊 Happy to say the 20 mile essential round trip went well ,apart from gaining a screechy power steering pump and afr very slightly lean at cruise (14.9) . Once I start to use more throttle ,later during the running in process and if it gets leaner . I'll try upping the fuel pressure very slightly to compensate for the extra cc ,as it's now a 2.13 cc instead of a 1998 cc . Obviously once run in it will be remapped ,as the little increase in capacity, cams and turbo upgrades will need to be tweeked in 😉 As for the p.s pump, I have replaced it once before, with another 2nd hand pump but the early v1/V2 pumps are known for leaking. So guessing I'll be looking into doing a "newage p.s pump conversion " soon 🙄 Well I need something scooby to do again now 🤔😂

Nice work, not far off painting it now mate 😎

Cheers stu , tbh it doesn't look any different to when I removed it but it sounds a lot quieter and hopefully first drive will go ok tomorrow 🤞 I'm sure in a few months you'll be happy with boost n burble back in your life 😉

ECU is under the passenger side foot well under a kick plate held down with 10mm bolts . The esl daughter board is fitted inside the standard ECU case , so in order to check if it has one . You'd have to completely remove the ECU and undo the cover . You'll be looking for a printed circuit board that will say esl in white on it . As for best option, the usual choice is esl or apexi f.c as simtek/alkertec aftersales support seems to be a bit hit n miss . esl has a few more features and runs open source software, apexi is old skool but comes with a hand controller monitor which let's you see live ECU parameters. What county are you in ? If you have a fairly local tried n tested mapper, the software he has or prefers to use might help you make a choice Looking at the few pics you've put up its definitely a v3/v4 uk , engine and ECU wise they're the same . If it has white dials and facelift interior it's a v4 ,if it has preface black dials and interior it's a v3 .

Yep that's a new one on me too , I've seen them bubble a bit but not ever that much . My guess is the coolant blockages stopped flow and caused the engine to overheat and pop the headgaskets. Just bear in mind that only a v1 to v4 long block will fit , the head inlet ports are different on anything newer .so your inlet and engine loom won't work without major modifications 😉

Fitted the new thermostat and swapped out a couple of those crappy coolant spring clips for proppa jubilee ones .Ran it up to temperature a few times now and the heat cycles are complete now ,without any leaks this time 🤐🙄😊. So slapped the front end back on this morning 😊 Just gotta drop the mineral oil out ,fit a new filter and refill with some millers running in oil . Then she's ready to tax and take to Tesco on it's essential maiden voyage 🤞

It does sound like spooling or a boost leak , does it idle any different ? lumpy or at higher revs check the y pipe from the turbo outlet to the top mount intercooler and from intercooler to throttle body, for cracks ,splits or leaks . Does it still make and hold boost , if it's got a boost gauge what does it read ? Has it got a standard recirc valve of aftermarket dump valve and Is it sealing properly ? Maybe get a smoke test done at any local garage ,to check for intake air leaks

Just beware that you will only be able to fit a v1 92 to v4 98 long engine (engine and heads ) into a v4 sti , even then you'd need to swap a few bits ove from a v1/v2 long block to make it fit . The v4 sti has the most aggressive cams and valvetrain fitted to classics and the heads sell for £500 + second hand. It does look like someone has taken the centre of the thermostat out , possibly to hide a overheating issue but for the cost of a new one .I'd not give up just yet . As stu said trying flushing any inlet and outlet through with a hosepipe so ,heater matrix , pipes on the back of the engine (that heater matrix connects to) top hose ,turbo hose , header tank ect . Then check the spark plugs for signs of burning coolant, as scooby engines hardly ever mix oil and water .if the headgaskets do go ,they either pressurize the coolant with combustion gasses or burn coolant. So if everything flows freely and plugs are good , maybe try putting it back together with a new stat ,make sure you bleed the coolant system properly when refilling and see if it does it again while idling or driving off boost .

No need to apologise, bud . It depends what you want to spend on parts and getting them fitted before spending £500 + on the remap . As the stock v3 UK ecu can't be mapped, so you'd need either a esl daughter board fitted or replacement aftermarket ECU. It would originally have about 215hp . With the current tdo4 and grey injectors plus remap you'd see between 260 and 290 hp . Fitting phase 2 yellow 440cc injectors (with phase adapters) and a tdo5 would probably be the cheapest option, You'd see about 320 to 330hp but that would cost more on top of the remap. (Another £400 ish minimum for parts alone) . Also at that level you'd need to think about a new oe clutch, unless it's been changed fairly recently? A new stock blue box exedy clutch would be fine at that hp ,though 👍 Any higher hp than 330hp and ty52 5 speed box ,engine internals and clutch are on borrowed time in a v3 UK 😉