legacycentral bbs

Hey everyone, i'm sure someone has covered this before, but I'm struggling to find specifics on this topic. I'm also not 100% sure on certain things that i need to do an sti conversion. I found a donor car (2004 Sti), and some parts are bad and need to be replaced. I know this will take alot of time, money, etc. I have a 94 touring wagon, which is automatic, so this might make things a tad harder to do. I am able to get the following:

complete engine
complete Trans (including diff/axles/driveshaft)
hopefully the donor car still has the trans mounts and whatever is needed to turn my auto into a 6 speed
ecu
All the wiring ( supposedly)
Dashboard
probably the pedals
probably the clutch master cylinder

The previous owner hopped a curb and bent the subframe, and possibly twisted the rest of the frame (supposedly). I'm going to see the car on Monday to visually inspect it. i have a few concerns. though:

if the subframe is "bent" which could possibly bend the cross member (i'm a noob to subarus so my thinking might be wrong here), would i be able to use my legacy cross member since its made for the turbo charged 2.2 or will i need to use the specific Sti cross member since the Sti one is made for the 2.5 turbo motor?

If the rear subframe is possibly twisted or bent etc, would i be able to use my legacy rear subframe.

The hubs/spindles for all for corners are also unavailable. but since the 04 was the last sti to have 5x100, i was thinking i can just use my 94 legacy ones and just put in new wheel bearings when i do it. Unless i need the specific stuff for the Sti axles ( or maybe if there is such thing as a hybrid axle where the innner part is for the sti and the outer is for the legacy).

Also with the wiring, is the sti body wiring useless to me or do i need the body wiring so i can merge it with the legacy body wiring?

Is there anything else i should be on the look out for?

My only experience with "swapping" an engine/trans was with my 94 civic hatchback. I understand this is a lot more complicated. Probably this is "tmi" but i have no life, no girlfriend, and i'm always bored. I take on these projects to learn something new. My only goal for my car is to have a very quick DD. But more importantly i just want to learn something new and make a great car into something more fun to drive. Any advice or info or "point me in the right direction" would be much appreciated. And I apologize if I'm asking too many questions. Thanks. -Vince

You can just notch your cross member to clear your up pipe but I bet the STI one is fine. Should be a lot of fun and a lot of frustration but if you've got the time and motivation, go for it!!

thanks for the support. i was actually reading your thread for like 5 hours the other night. and that actually got me motivated to do this. I just wish i had the experience that everyone else has with engines , trans, and trouble shooting stuff. I work at a tire shop, so all i do is tires, oil changes, and alignments all day. So my mechanical experience is very limited, but anything that has to do with suspension is pretty much done , now all i gotta do is learn how to work on everything else. lol.

Oh wow. That's pretty ambitious then! I had never done an engine swap before and I learned a lot. I've removed an engine before and put it back when I was done fixing it but never swapped a different one in or even removed a subaru engine before.

I'm glad I motivated you. With enough time, money and drive you can do it. Oh and the interwebz helps a lot.

lol. wish me luck tomorrow. hopefully i can get the swap for cheap and hopefully all the parts i need are accounted for *crosses fingers*

I went to see the guy about the swap and everything seems accounted for... the price on the other hand is a little steep. Hopefully i can bring it down in price, or find someone else selling an 04 sti swap for cheaper. we will see.

What do they want for the swap? What exactly is included in the swap?

pmed you kimo

also, i was wondering if i need the key cylinder and the key for the car. does it effect the computer? or will i be able to just splice or re-pin the computer to my interior wiring? That way i can just use my original key and cylinder. Any info would be appreciated. thanks. i'll try searching on nasioc and the sti forums too.

Just my "UnEducated guess, but i would think you should just swap out the column if the ignition doesn't bolt onto your colum. I think you have to use the key for that ecu. Maybe there is a way but i would look at it as the worst possible thing, and plan to use the sti column, if you have to.

cool thanks for the info.

Just to note....I think you'll be ok for the 04 MY's. I believe starting in 05, the keys have a microchip in them and you need that ignition system & key to work with the ECU.

A buddy of mine had an 05 STi swap on his 98 RS. He had to have the old key ignition & lock put under the dash for the ECU, while he left his original ignition in tact.

awesome. i already talked to a guy on nasioc and confirmed it also. he was telling my to keep my legacy dash and just splice everything to keep it stock inside. i was like... what about the gauge cluster mine is for an automatic. besides, i'm not very good with electrical stuff so my best bet is to use the sti dash so i have less headaches. i'm still keeping my fingers crossed though. I'm still waiting for a response for the price.