renob123

Power gains can be questionable on a real dyno. Butt dynos are notoriously unreliable. There are thousands of shiny things on eBay that prove that. Jacob

Well, when you start with, say, a '91 Legacy, you start with a 2.2. The Frankenmotor keeps everything except for the block. Buy block and head gaskets, and you have more power. The bump in compression is icing on the cake, but not as cool as more displacement. On my Brat, I would have swapped the whole 2.5 so I could get the better-flowing heads, but 2.5 heads won't fit. Seriously. Read the Frankenmotor thread, or at least every post by Matt Monson in that thread. You'll learn everything you need to know, including times when you're retarded if you opt for a Frankenmotor:) Jacob

Actually, it's to increase the displacement. The increased compression ratio doesn't count for that much of the increase in power. Read the original thread if you want more info. If you're using your 91 ECU, then I'm not aware of any tuning you can do unless you're a computer engineer or something with a lot of time on his hands. This is where the point of the Frankenmotor is lost on a lot of people. It's a cheap increase in power. The gains from tuning this setup are minimal, at best, from what I've seen. Jacob P.S. Not to say that I'm not going to run Megasquirt someday:-p

My tires are 195/55-15. Keep in mind I'm crushing fenders with this setup, and I had to do some pounding on the fenderwell too. I suppose if you're lifted, then it won't matter. I love that the speedometer is almost dead-on with this setup, though. Jacob

Hmm, not that much cheaper than OEM, IIRC. I'm sure there's something more craptastic out there, if that's the goal:grin: Jacob

There are several superseded part numbers for 25D head gaskets. It's anyone's guess as to which iteration the Fel-Pro ones are, if any, or if it matters at all. I'm sort of a believer that Subaru wouldn't go through the trouble of new part numbers unless they were changing something, and that they don't change something unless there's a reason. Just because it has a Fuji boomerang doesn't mean it's the best:horse: Jacob

I was going off of my memory of the rules from a few years ago, which required stock-sized DOT-approved tires. The Silverstones fit in that category. I don't remember if they say anything about competition on them. What kind of "coil" are you talking about? People are likely to be lenient on a car that old anyway. For example, there was a guy in Washington running aftermarket engine management in the stock class. He got away with it because he was driving something pretty rare that he restored, and finding a stock ECU wasn't very feasible. I've got a set of 5 13" S505s sitting in my living room:) Jacob

Get a skidplate and helmet, then start improving the driver. Nokian Hakkapeliittas were the most winning tire in rallyx a while back. Depending on your steward's interpretation of the rules, the Silverstone S505s are DOT approved, and they're proper rally tires. They would be a huge advantage, but don't buy them until you know your local steward will be ok with that. This is all assuming you want to be in a stock class, which you didn't explicitly specify. If so, then once you get good enough, a racing harness is one of the things that helped me the most. Jacob

Congrats on the Top Scoob co-championship over on NABISCO. Jacob

These guys get good reviews on NABISCO. http://www.maniacelectricmotors.com/11058hiamp.html Jacob

Are those close to 0 offset? If so, you'll likely chew up your fenders in a few weeks. I have stock-diameter 15" tires on those types of rims, and it doesn't seem like I can cut enough of the fender to prevent contact. Jacob

If you upgrade your front brakes, then you don't have a place for the front parking brake. That's why a lot of people are interested in doing this. That 200SX is really just a Sentra. You want the other kind of 200SX. I got remanned calipers off Rockauto for about $35 each. Jacob

I hope I catch you before you get into this too far. Almost everyone here recommends dealer head gaskets. Read up on that and seriously consider getting a refund on those Fel-Pros, especially with this engine combo. You can get Borla knock-offs off eBay for half that amount. I've had no problems with mine so far. "Stage 3" means nothing, but STIs putting down 400 torque will often stick with a dealer clutch for drive-ability and concerns for the transmission. If "Stage 3" is just their fancy name for "same as stock", then go for it. I would recommend against anything fancier than that, because it will cause problems and not solve any. Jacob

I bet the loose axle nut caused a lot of that. I'm sure GD has told you where to go for bearings that are the same quality, but at least 50% less expensive than what you'd get at an auto parts store. The gravity bleeding you mentioned will work, but I hear it's best to do the 2-man system afterward to get every last drop of bad stuff out of there. I'm not sure why that's the case, but that's what I've heard. Jacob

You can call or email Delta, and they'll know exactly what you need. The cams are surprisingly affordable, but I don't know how shipping or duty would affect you. I wish I had a dog, but I just don't know if I'd be able to provide the activity I know they need. Too bad plants don't provide the same love and energy:) Jacob

I'd be interested in seeing the results of the PnP. I hear there are a lot of ways to mess it up and end up with poorer-performing heads. Unless you know what you're doing, I'd do some research beforehand. Also, with a PnP, you may want to ask Delta about their HP cam. The torque cam works great with a non-PnPed head. I'd be worried about the powerband of the torque cams not matching the powerband of the newly ported head. Jacob

Let's back up for just a second. Are you sure it's really losing that much? Both of my Subarus seem to give erratic readings on the dipstick. I have to be very careful when I check oil levels. I'm sorry that I'm questioning your basic understanding of car maintenance, but Subaru oil levels are just plain weird. Jacob

Arbitrary numbers don't mean anything to me. When I order cams from them, I just ask for "torque cams" for the engine in question, and they always know what I meant. 2.25" exhaust seems to be the magic number for NA Subarus. That's what I'm running. While you're in there, it may be a good time to replace your mounts with Group N mounts. Engine and transmission first, and maybe the pitch stopper, depending on how much money you have. The point of the Frankenmotor is to get power on a budget. I'd rethink the port and polish, unless it's very inexpensive for you. The really low HP/$ ratio made me decide against it. Jacob

Motul isn't cheap or easy to get in the US, but it's great. So is Extra-S. Don't overlook Valvoline, though. Considering you can get it at Walmart or Baxter's, it almost feels like that's what was meant to go into a Subaru transmission. I was running exotic German stuff in my 6-speed, and I switched to Walmart Valvoline, and the shifting experience became a lot more rewarding. Jacob

I know he's alive and ok. Let me see if I can reach him and have him check his PM box. Jacob

For that compression, you'd probably need a custom thicker head gasket. Cometic can make them for you. Of course, your timing will be off a little bit. Keep in mind that if you run Delta torque cams, they'll reduce your dynamic compression slightly, which gives you a better margin of safety. Jacob

Yeah, but Seattle has a real football team. It cracks me up to see Oregonians going totally rabid over these pee-wee college teams:lol: Jacob

I guess it depends on when the last t-belt service was. If it was just done a few thousand miles ago, then a new water pump, etc would be a waste of money, IMHO. If it was a long time ago, then yes, it would be prudent to do the whole thing while they're in there. $4k and no t-belt service is too much, and I think most people here would agree. If she's going to spend that much money, you should think about getting a board member to do it. GD, Caboobaru, or otherwise. Jeesh. That's at least a month's pay for a lot of people here. Jacob

That seems pretty high. You could probably save your coworker a lot of money by dragging the car to GeneralDisorder in Portland and having him do the work. You can PM edrach on the board here as well. He has a decent mechanic in the area. Both SMART and AWD are pretty respectable shops in the area, though. Jacob

It's about as low as the crossmembers or rear diff or so. It's not that bad. Jacob