Soobaroo4ester

Wow so now I feel stupid about the "deal" that the guy gave us last time on some nissan heads. A-hole told us he would pull the valves, work the heads, and replace the valves, for only {insert seemingly low price here}. I reallllly appreciate EVERYONE's input. It's weird how even when you know a good bit about cars, the littlest things can go unnoticed... If I had known that, I'd have the motor on the hoist by now. I know of at least 3 machine shops in town, so Im sure there are more, and Ill find a good one. Thanks again!

Great sauce guys, I appreciate the quick replies- here are a few more thoughts and issues from me. What I was hoping for here is a 3-6month transplant, and if they are still good, I could use some of the accessories off of the imported motor. Mainly the alternator, and AC compressor. My alt is weak, and my AC pulley is going, because it got rusty, and when the AC is engaged, the belt seems to move a lot more than it should. BUT- you make a good point, and I have already found an alt for $25 and an AC for 80, so that isnt really a big deal. Excuse my Subie Noobness here, but Ive never heard the term "interference" or "non-interference". Im assuming this means the valves interfering with the pistons if not timed right, or the belt breaks? Which of course means the engine is F'ed.. I have a hoist, and tranny jack, so getting the engine out is not a problem. What Im worried about is having the heads machined. That is mandatory(although I have seen people skip it) in my book. The machine shop that I have used before requires that I pull the valves and everything outta the heads before I bring it to them. This presents a problem to me seeing as how that is one of the two things I haven;t ever touched- Valves and tranny internals(internal gears. Clutches are no prob.) And since you offered, I might hit you up for some advice. Also, if anyone can post any realllll good links on valve specs, or DIY valves, please do! You also said use Subaru-only when it comes to HGs. I read in passing somewhere that they addressed the problem with the EJ25s when they made replacement HGs? Im hoping this is true! The good thing about the motor is that it has everything attached except the intake box, hoses(they are cut, of course), exhaust, and tranny. all accessories are attached. But with this input, Im rethinking the transplant... I really appreciate all of your inputs. If anyone can give me links to follow, or have any other advice, Im all ears(and eyes). No wonder my brother-in-law has been trying to get me into Subie's for so long! So many supporters!

Hello everyone! Im new to this forum, just got my first Subaru 2 weeks ago. I joined another forum when I got my Subie, but I cant seem to find some answers I need. I searched before posting this, but once again,(could just be my fault) I cant find the answers Im looking for. First, a little backgroud to help with my question. My new vehicle is a '98 Forester S, with a 4EAT. The only mod I have besides wheels is my SPT exhaust. 133k on the clock, and other than sitting for almost a year, extremely well taken care of. Also, Im very much into cars. I have a garage that has all the tools I could possibly need, considering my roommate and myself just performed a RB25DET swap on his S14 240sx. Sadly tho, I have never played with boxer motors. MAIN--> My forester has a blown head gasket. And at the time being, it would be easier(and much faster!) for me to do a straight up engine swap than it would be to tear down my current block and refresh it. I've found JDM engines(EJ25 DOHC, NA, fits MY95-99), with 40k miles, for around $900. I would reuse my auto tranny, and also there is no wiring harness or ECU included with these motors. My question being- what do I need to complete this swap? Will my ECU plug and play? Wiring harness? Different axles? Will I need to extend AC lines or hoses? Exhaust? I have been told it is a pretty straightforward swap, I just wanted to hear it for sure. Dont wanna buy a motor and find out that- oh I need this, and this, and this, etc....:-\ Thanks ahead for anyone who helps out.