Mr B

Yeh they are good but not really need if not funding a big hp build. cosworth are good and if could get a price same as savage would be worth it otherwise cometic would be fine, ICP do cometic individual or as part of complete head seal/gasket set (about £220 for set, £90 pair of head-gaskets) they good quality viton coated embossed mls gaskets. Standard head bolts are fine for standard & low tune and as they not excessive stretch torque to yeild can be reused if pass inspection. Lot of myths on fine thread no good but reason they use fine thread is it doesn't work loose easily, also fine thread creates more load for same torque over a coarse thread so something be aware of when choosing fastener spec & torque. Proper fitted oem bolts on quality smooth finished heads/block work well,arp stud set around £175 and does allow more clamping torque over standard but not a lot & stud length in block is not best . rcm do some good stud kits when going serious, if going do studs do 12mm - RCM 14/12mm studs get my vote, good design but not cheap and needs block machining. If you not aiming go full out don't waste money on expensive HG or head studs, use it towards good forge pistons & good machine work & quality gaskets. No point spending £160 on head gaskets good for 600hp but running standard rods. Balance all parts so budget evenly spread giving balanced quality/power handling & keeping you well within the budget .

As he only wants standard power or close to & budget tight I can't see him wanting go rods. Does make sense do it all in one hit when can & aiming well into 400s, ej25 rods & lower oiling are not the worst produced & with no max rpm increase they will handle 400+, biggest load on rod is not from combustion hp but from directional load at bottom of stroke, lighter pistons & sensible rpm keeps loads sensible . Pistons on other hand are real gamble even at light tuning .

Get your heads reviewed for line honing and surface refinishing . You going spend £100 on rings so it only £350 more for forge pistons complete with new rings & pins too. Rods fine if staying stock or close to . want be sure bores A1 or will need oversize anyway, standard cast crack easy even with minimal det so forged pistons is good investment at any build level.

most of those marks will be impact damage from debris as piston cycling, can ruin a good head too ... Set of forged good way go & not overly costly, standards if A1 & bore A1 can be fine for budget standard build (only saving potentially£350) but good RR check & breather improvement would be a must . Lean running heat & det soon kills 1st cast piston ringland .

cometic gaskets are also very good value for standard rebuild, rubber coated & better stopper design in recent years. most of your regular mentioned parts outlets deal/stock cometic head sets & block sets.. I also see new ej257 short blocks are available reduced at 1,750 ...

mix the sti intercooler with better thermal shield & controlled water injection & you have a very capable tmic . Controlled WI systems are superb bits of kit . Front mounts are indeed the common package but don't overlook all choices & balance parts to your builds requirement .

ej20 can be sleeved that size but it not common route due to cost & hassle over sourcing a ej257 short block . Would be concerned on what getting as don't seem know too much so how good are the pistons ! If stay cheap say £150 they might be worth a gamble, you got add new rings to cost, I would get some good images of skirts & crowns & image with measures too .If in doubt or bids go high go new as not worth messing about for couple hundred quid .

Injectors themselves not hard but whole system takes a little while as has water tank & pump plus controller, wiring & control switch/water level indicator.

400+ is the middle point between the 2, tmic solutions can handle it if that way you want go, Lot of sti's run around the 380 to 420 on standard tmic but I would use water injection and thermal barriers with it or upgrade tmic core to keep thermal stress minimal & safety & tuning potential good .

360 to 400max at close 400 they really can start struggle on hot day or heavily heat soaked car, bar & plate larger core solutions & ones with new scoop designs can handle closer to 500hp if have to but ideally want water injection to run with it so intake temps are kept very safe allowing push ignition mapping more . Modern controlled water injection uses very little water so you would only fill up when filling fuel for example. over 400hp then front mounts tend be best solution and cost to potential hp handling is way cheaper . What power do you require & what changes to the car do you want make !? It not just about cutting/trimming, some people don't like loosing the design feature & function of the top mount & scoop or like fact car can be returned totally stock with simple nut, bolt, screw removal . Horses for coarses and personal choice within reason .

360 to 400max at close 400 they really can start struggle on hot day or heavily heat soaked car, bar & plate larger core solutions & ones with new scoop designs can handle closer to 500hp but ideally want water injection to run with it so intake temps are kept very safe allowing push ignition mapping more . What power do you require & what changes to the car do you want make !?

A good bar & plate top mount can work well . splitter fins & aftermarket scoops can help airflow. Lag/throttle response is not a misconception, V design front mount concepts were products of massive R&D and designed to reduce pipe run lengths & amount of bends . Indeed you can have more safety scope with front & front can exceed capabilities of a tmic but tmic is still very capable .

It's best if it needed . If you can cool efficent enough for power with a top mount then they can be best performance solution . Some people fit them at power level that pointless . Also have a lot of owners who don't want trim anything for front mount & keep car as stock as possible . Both solutions are best when used in right scenario .

they should be ones . Want know what size they are, standard or oversize ?? would need work out compression too as don't build an engine without doing so to a specific comp ratio goal . Price in set of rings at say £120 .

Top mount has 2 benefits. more direct better flowing pipe route less chance of damage from stones or parking nudges or grounding issue. Water spray can be useful & if have aftermarket ecu it maybe controlled on throttle rpm etc. You can get stand alone controllers which help make most of water spray system . we see a road car at 460ish hp on recored top mount with water spray and water injection and intake temp drops are excellent and heat soak minimal due to thermal solutions under the hood . Newage STI tmic can handle mid 400hp easily & custom cores with water injection 500hp, classics benefit from fmic more as design limitations make it hard work improving the tmic without big changes & bigger money than decent fmic . Thermal control under hood is important too so adding thermal barriers & improving airflow will reduce heatsoak for top mounts . Ice in the water spray bottle does wonders too & great for drag runs when setup with controller . Top mounts on sti newage tend be well underrated . turbo sunny had same issue but modern bar & plate max sized recored unit on those with water injection can do serious decent power and airflow on sunny core is awful compared to the impreza .

Quality top mounts can work fine and good choice in lot of instances balanced on power & usage & maintain standard characteristic/functions, another top option is chargecooler . no point having front mount if power & usage will be cooled enough buy a top mount implementation, top mounts work better than given credit & more so for uk climate .

legacy also but but get number off yours before buying one .

If just motor get motor but do check mech runs nicely & not worn & lubricate it a bit to give smoother operation & motor less load . Changing just motor is easier as can just remove 3 philips head nuts internally with decent philips bit in a bit ratchet spanner, remove 4 motor bolts & loosen other fixings so motor can be wiggled out, pulling whole lot means glass coming out .

* Trade plates only cover vehicle for no tax, it does not cover no MOT. Only way round no MOT is if use on road directly related to MOT issue, IE work related to repair, testing or a booked MOT itself . Reasonably easy for trade bend rules to work but it obviously would not be legal for example to drive a car hundreds of miles with bald tyres & no brakes just because you hang trade plates on it ;-) Trade plates have many myths ...

Trade plates don't cover no MOT, same laws on MOT as normal, ie driving to booked mot or related work . I always trailor non MOT unless very local & is indeed going to me for repairs or our MOT mans bay . Any cars we sell always have MOT and if not on first day advertised within 2 days, traders who let you test drive with no MOT are taking the p1ss on your licence .

Well a plus you got the cat :-) Could get garage give quote (add re mot & bit more just in case :-S ) and see if worth your hassle . If want easy route try eBay (buy it now) but don't give it away if rest of car VERY good/clean as these faults are super easy put right for diy enthusiast or someone in trade .

No if it the U frame it reasonably easy remove (12 bolts on frame itself) , some can be a right rusted mess. You can get aftermarket frame-brace all in one or hunt down A1 used preferably from jdm import if current one like a wet weekabix . Crossmember more awkward but it normally the U subframe rusts at front due to moisture trap issue . new part or labour on old one going add up along with other bits . Doubt she see more money at end of day with MOT but sale possibly quicker if did ! Some people actually remove the U frames (invalidates insurance though) .

You looking at new discs and pads plus calipers checked as expect pistons partially seized hence disc worn more one side. Rear suspension bushes cat refitted (hopefully you kept that :-/ ) Subframe all depends on how bad it is, if removed they can be blasted, cut & welded with new steel & coated with epoxy paint for better than new long term repair . hard say how much without looking ... If not doing work yourself garage bill for all of it going mount up a bit, Put it on here for your wanting price & on eBay for little more (not as auction as too many idiots). Will sell it easily if rest of car good as those failures easy & cheap for any DIY enthusiast ...

ej255 ej257 are same gasket sets icp do cometic kit, you can get a lot via blueprint which good stuff or oem . 150 to 250 should cover top end gasket required pending on whether get set or mix blueprint/OEM with specific brand HG . I get my parts varying sources, local main dealer, local blueprint stockist & online blueprint/OEM part sellers when prices super low, Got a lot of bits off eBay too when factors shifting excess stock, use ICP at times also, cosworth HG are good, cometic newer HG are better than older design. OEM gaskets for things such as rocker covers, valve stems, crank/cam seals etc are hard beat & hassle free (Nok are oem for lot of seals so can source from many places), we tend use oem & blueprint mainly & cosworth or cometic HG, Blueprint VR or OEM HG in more run of mill repairs . Check out you bores well for ovaling & piston skirt & ringlands for issues, we like CP pistons for higher power mainly street use and they affordable option when standard ring/pistons shot . Just nail down some part numbers & hunt prices, if you got family in trade then blueprint and cometic should be good prices via local motor-factors possibly.

Sounds likely just generals deposits built up as description doesn't sound overly worrying. Who knows when coolant last done or what junk been in it, leak inhibitors inc subaru's magic one makes right mess in expansion tanks over time . Good flush, expansion bottle clean & refill with good coolant should do job . Do check for leaks after as things like waterpump if old can start leaking after a proper flush, also if leak additive been in it the cause may not of been resolved so keep eye on things for few days ...