savage bulldogs

Being a self employed plasterer I use my (very frugal) 1.3cdti combo van every day and the mrs works 2 mins walk from home .so I only do about 3k miles a year in the scoob as it only gets driven at the weekend , well if I can't think of a good enough reason to take it out in the evenings ;-)

The brute force gym monkey approach is only to help lift the 60 kg box;-) I've got a couple of 3 ton trolley jacks, 6 axle stands and a engine hoist to lift the scooby :-) Thanks for the input about the plug chaps . I'm still not 100% what the plug is for but I've got nothing to plug it into on my classic anyways lol, so I'll just remove that bit of loom and put it in the shed with the rest of my scooby scraps for now . I've been away since Saturday morning so haven't had chance to do much else but, I should be home for 3 pm tomorrow so should have the 4 speed box out and I'll take few pics along the way ;-)

I fitted my brvs 6speed using 4 axle stands and brute force . I've only had 2hrs scooby time so far but did manage to remove the drive shafts , tmic , zorst and drain the box oil. Should have the 5 speed out in another 2 hrs or so , will admit I'm not looking forward to lifting the 6speed in cos their !Removed! heavy (60 + kg) think I'll need my "gym monkey" brvs help lol

I've been doing some research and it looks like it might be rear lambda sensor plug ,I was hoping it was dccd , but I thought that was doubtful due to the price of the kit .

xmas came early for me cos this turned up today does anybody know what the big black plug (near the drive shaft socket) is for ? as my brvs 6 speed didn't have one when we fitted it

Cheers gambit , I've only got a few pics on the phone and most of them are from miles away . Think I better get my daughter a lap top for xmas ;-)

The early wrx 's and sti's all had cdb 's (all v1's and some v2's) the sti's have different internals,cams, turbo's and injectors , but the same block

I read in the manual that classic's have a hill start braking system on the hand brake , which keeps the brake on until you move forward . I have no idea how it works (it might just not roll backwards) but it could possibly be the hand brake sticking on and not releasing until you move .

Cdb is a closed deck block which is basically a solid block of ally with the piston sleeves inside , because it has more metal to support each sleeve (with uprated internals) they handle the most power and therefore sell for more money (even if they're not running) so worth checking as you could sell your knackered engine to help fund a new one . Semi closed deck will handle less power as they only have 4 webs of ally at 12 , 3, 6, 9 '0' clock to support the piston sleeve . Open deck just have 2 webs off ally supporting each sleeve . You can get open or semi closed "pinned" (more webs added) to make them stronger but it's cheaper just to use a cdb for bigger power builds , but they were only ever fitted from the factory for the first 2 yrs and therfore quite rare

Not the best pic but its to dark to get another tonight .Directly above the end of the crankshaft there's loads of ### marks on a closed deck block .as I said before I've seen just the block halves sell for £300

On the v3/ v4 it's on the underside of the inlet manifold directly below the idle control valve (which has a yellow sticker on it) in the pic bellow . I think you can just see the blue plug next to the earth strap

Closed deck block their used for big power builds but , being a my 95 it shouldn't have one as standard . I'll chuck a pic up of how to identify one this evening anyways (just in case)

I personally wouldn't invest to much in the sport as unfortunately I think the rot will get worse . What's the bodywork like on the wrx (is it worth investing in)? What year is the wrx has it got a cdb ? (# marks near the alternator) If so id scrap the sport sell the cdb (even with the head gasket gone you should get £300 ) then either put another engine in the wrx or break it and use the funds to find a replacement.

I've read that the newage sti's are good for 450 with the standard forged pistons .classic sti's about 380 (as the forged pistons aren't as strong) wrx and uk turbos about 340 (due to not being forged) I'm not that up to spec on newage turbo's or injectors but if yours has got pink injectors (550's) they're good for just over 400 hp and if the turbo's a vf 35 there good for 370 hp. As ash said you won't get much past 350 with a tmic (due to intake temps ) and a fmic with a induction kit would be the next stage in tune before a remap

Lovely clean looking classic you've got there ;-) I was totally unaware of the modification laws over there . Do the laws only apply to road going cars ? If so I bet you have a big track day scene in Italy full of modded non mot'd motors :-)

You're welcome bud Don't mean to keep advertising traders on here lol , but I think this bloke on scooby net local to you http://bbs.scoobynet.com/full-cars-breaking-for-spares-438/984891-1996-subaru-impreza-sti-v3-406-silver-breaking.html I know the car in the link has head gasket failure but , He breaks scoobs and might be able to help ;-) drop him a pm All the best Clive

I'd have gladly give you a hand fella , if you'd been about 600 mls closer and I wasn't about to do a gearbox change on mine .Don't mean to rub salt in the wounds, iv also got a spare engine but, it's only fit for scrap now due to me selling the cam covers ,sump and inlet then leaving it uncovered in the garden . I'd have a look on scabby net and buy one off a trader on there (at least you'd be able to kick up a fuss if it went pop). Whereas if you get yours repaired to cheap (no machining or new timing belt as tlag said) it might go pop anyways . Dunno what year yours is but ,v1 to v4 long engines are compatible (due to the inline inlet stud pattern) you'd just have to fit your inlet, fuel lines and water crossover pipe if it wasn't the exact version as yours . I've had my engine in and out twice in a day (everything had been off before though) but ,I still wouldn't wannabe be making a habit of that lol I'd pushed the crankshaft oil seal in to far (which makes them leak) so had to remove the engine replace and reposition seal and refit the engine again . Which ever option you choose best of luck bud and I'll help you out with pics and advice if needs be

Have you checked the oil level and that the oils the correct grade

I'd put another turbo engine in ,fitting the non turbo imo would be a pita due to ecu and loom differences. Iv only ever removed a scooby engine a few times and can now remove one in 2.5 hrs . Is your wrx a early one ? Because it might have a closed deck block ,which can be identified by # marks near the oil pressure sender. if so (just the block halves) sell for £300 + so you might recoup some money with the old engine afterwards . If you don't fancy removing the engine yourself try asking for a quote on a engine swap instead , as it should be cheaper due to less labour and no machining costs

The only trader I use a lot is luke at import car parts for all my gaskets and oe/ group n rally parts drop him a email he might be interested in advertising . Although I don't know if the club would get a discount as he price matches most other companies prices anyways . Will admit I was a bit surprised my 5 speed spat it's dummy out as I didn't think I was running enough power to break it , especially at 3/4 throttle in mid rev range. Mabey I could sue simon @jgm for his monster mapping malarkey lol I just wanna get the 6 speed fitted and on the rollers now as surely with a sti tmic , sports cat and tdo5 I shouldn't be near box braking bhp ?

thanks for the help and effort but ive sourced one now ;) as for dccd 6 speeds theres 2 for sale on scabby net for £1600 each , I paid a bit less for my non dccd 6 speed and got few things extra B)

well I've bought this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUBARU-IMPREZA-2004-STI-TYPE-UK-6-SPEED-GEAR-BOX-3-54-RATIO-TY856WN4CA-/161113287294?nma=true&si=HZi0X%252FbHncHkk5s0VXZMX4eH%252Bsg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 gave him a extra £100 (a total of £1395 delivered) and he chucked In the 6 speed driveshafts,flywheel,exedy pink box clutch kit, and starter motor as well as the listed bits of 6 speed box, cradle, ppp shifter,and prop now just gotta find the time to fit it before the rolling road day at the end of october

Just had a squint on the cobra site but they've gone up £100 in price over the past 2years http://www.cobrasport.com/exhaust/Subaru/Impreza+Turbo+WRX+and+STI++%2894-00%29/31/0/0 Could try japspeed http://www.japspeed.co.uk/Subaru-Impreza-GC8/Subaru-Impreza-GC8/Subaru-Impreza-Classic-High-Flow-Sports-CAT/p-23-1-403/ Haven't bought any zorst bits of them but seems cheap and sure looks shiny lol

It was the next mod on the (never ending) list anyways ,but I haven't got the funds together for bigger brakes to fit the 6 speed 180 rear hubs/diff . There's a way to retain my uk160 rear diff/hubs as I fitted a kit to my brvs v1sti (he hit 350 hp and ate two 5 speeds in 3 months) ,but im not 100% what type of prop was used in the kit . However I have found a few kits with boxes , cradle, props, and gearsticks under £1500 and iv got the £'s for those so I hope to fit it in a couple of wknds time . Fmic and induction for x mas it is then lol

cheers gambit, nice find ill bear that in mind :) I wont have time to fit it until after next weekend so ill try to hold out for one a bit cheaper as my brv managed to pick one up for £1400 earlier in the year ;)