What drivetrain would you put in this car

[stevenva]

96 Legacy L 2.2 Auto.
I have already done:
Wrx 16" wheels, Legacy GT brakes, 205/50/16 Direzza zii star spec, KYB struts & mounts, H&R springs, Ralitek F&R swaybars, STI seats, JDM projectors FX-R 3.0 bixenons with Nightbreaker unlimiteds for high beam and D2S-theseheadlightskickass!, Replaced entire A/C system this spring, 180 amp DC Power Engineering Alternator, Paint is Audi nimbus grey.
This car handles like a go kart.

I lost reverse. I tried filter and fluid to no avail.
I am not spending another dime on this car as long as it has that anemic 2.2. Now I must decide on a drivetrain swap. Has to be automatic. My goal is to have a quick, responsive car that is a blast to drive.
Budget $2000. I'm not concerned with labor.

This pic was taken prior to some upgrades

Edited December 4, 2016 by stevenva

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Consider an STi Specs Engine: you might find a wrecked impreza STi in a Junk Yard, and obtain it cheap as donor car, then swap everything (Engine, Wire harness, ECU, etc...) from the STi to the Legacy.

 

In another subject, the EJ22 engine isn't anemic at all; try our older generation of Subarus with the EA82 engines... Maybe your EJ22 only needs a proper tune up, better exhaust (I believe it could have clogged Catalytic converters and / or Muffler, etc...) and a sluggish automatic transmission could add to the Mix, to make you feel it Anemic.

 

Kind Regards.

[stevenva]

Thanks for your reply. The 2.2 does last practically forever. Mine has over 350,000 miles. Drivetrain is stock. Exhaust was replaced a couple years ago with Magnaflow cats factory pipes and silencers. The car is peppy off the line but falls on its face when it hits 3rd gear. 

[86BRATMAN]

Unfortunately a budget of $2000 will only get you so far with performance upgrades. For that money you could throw together a dohc swap and diy turbo. But with the mileage I wouldn't expect the bottom end to last very long after being turbocharged.

 

Another option would be to do a budget high compression ej25. Start with a lower mileage ej251 and use 97-99 ej25d heads and manifold. Makes for a relatively quick na car.

[stevenva]

Modding this motor is not going to happen. I lost reverse. All forward gears are fine. Whatever I do will cost $. I'm kinda scared at this point to dump $ into this trans. With all that has been done to the suspension/brakes/tires, a swap will be more $, not outrageous, but the potential results really has me thinking...

[86BRATMAN]

Easiest fix for the trans is going to be replacing it. Either with a lower mileage 95-98 ej22 auto which will have be a direct replacement or with a 96-98 ej25 auto which will require swapping the rear diff to match the final drive ratio. It's not uncommon for them to lose reverse with high mileage, I see several Subarus for sale with no reverse every spring after a rough winter. People get hung up and rock the car out and burn up the reverse clutches.

[Numbchux]

$2k parts cost for an engine and transmission that's a performance upgrade from what you've got isn't really doable.

 

 

Best option is maybe a 6-cylinder, but EGs or EZs were never made with a manual transmission. You might be able to get a good SVX donor for less than $1k (5-10 years ago, you could find rusty ones with blown transmissions for a few hundred bucks all day, but they're getting rare up here). Those are fantastic engines, but require some fabrication to fit.

 

Then you'll need 5 speed swap parts. pedal box, shift linkage, driveshaft, flywheel, clutch, transmission, probably rear diff.

 

'01-'04 Outback LLBean would be much easier project to fit, but they're more expensive to find a good donor. (don't get the VDC, as the traction/stability control systems make them very difficult to use for engine swaps).

[dfoyl]

Usual Subaru problem, too much weight for the engine in NA form. EJ25 or 6-cyl is the way to go if you don't want to go the (relative) complexity of a turbo setup. As OP wants an auto (which Numbchux seems to have missed), it should be a straight-forward job on the EJ25 and well under budget if you're talking parts only. Also it won't affect your "go-kart" handling.

EZ30 has been done - http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthrear.php?t=1697340 - but under $2k is going to be tough unless you are fabbing up everything yourself and have the time to do it.

The other option is to reduce the weight, which will still get you a "quick, responsive car" - so far your upgrades have all been weight increases or at best weight-neutral. Have a look at what is available in after-market, light weight suspension parts.

[Numbchux]

As OP wants an auto (which Numbchux seems to have missed)

 

I did miss that. I would recommend a reconsider on that topic, if possible, as the Subaru automatics just suck power, a manual will make it feel a lot quicker.

 

 

In the case of an automatic, though, I'd recommend the EZ30 route. If you shop around, you can probably find a decent LL Bean donor car for less than $2k. Swap the engine, transmission, ECU, and TCU (and wiring to run it all). You shouldn't need any more parts other than maintenance stuff that you might want to get out of the way while it's out. And then you should be able to make some back on parting out the donor car (leather seats, suspension, brakes, etc.)

[stevenva]

OK. Looks like most are saying 3.0 H6. That might be my engine for a long time. In August, I bought a 2005 Outback LL Bean which comes with that motor.

[Numbchux]

2005 has drive-by-wire, immobilizer and 5EAT. Excellent car, excellent engine, but not a great swap candidate. Has to be run on a standalone ECU (which drives up your cost considerably). And I don't know how a person might get that to work with the 5EAT transmission.

 

 

 

It may not be the best choice, but I think it's the only one that could be done reliably for $2k.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Numbchux

[subnz]

If you're serious about performance, throw away the performance killing slusher auto  and bolt in a 5spd manual,  if H4 2.2, 2.5 

 

Agree H6 3.0 R with its 5EAT  nice alternative  without the turbo / cambelt issues of turboed H4s

Edited December 17, 2016 by subnz

[stevenva]

On my 05 Beaner with the H6 it doesn't have a very accurate or responsive drive by wire system and the trans takes every opportunity to upshift to highest gear. I'm starting to research Romraider and other sites to tweak it with ONES and ZEROS

[idosubaru]

EJ25 short block with EJ22 heads and delta cams would be cake, no ECU or wiring needed but EJ25D blocks have head gasket related issues.

 

01-04 EZ30

4EAT and convert the MPT to VTD if possible. VDC H6's have VTD.

 

Avoid 99 4eat as they have a delayed shifting into gear issue. Not a big deal I'm fixing one right now but not what I'd want to install into a project car either.

 

www.car-part.com

 

what final drive ratio/gearing would be best for his goals?

[idosubaru]

I've disconnected the dropping (shift?) resistor in my cars for firmer 2-3 or 3-4 shifts.

[Ionlyhave3suubs]

It sounds like you are on the way to a really cool build. I am assuming you still have the original engine and transmission. Based on that information, It sounds like a good start would be to swap out your original transmission and rear diff for ones from a GT. They have a lower gear ratio which will help with getting whatever power you have to the ground. You will want one from a 98 or earlier. The 99 starts a new generation and will not be an easy swap, different harness and computer.

 

While a H6 may be an option, consider how tight the clearance between the front of your engine and cooling fans is already. Probably only a couple of inches. The 00 up Legacy body is designed to accommodate the H6. An alternative would be building a 2.5 bottom end with 2.2 heads, 2.2 intake, 2.5 injectors. Cometic makes a head gasket specific for this application. Summit Racing Equipment sells the gaskets. Research frankenmotor, there's a lot of information on the message board.