Brumby EJ20T - Which model

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:32 pm

Hey all,

Just about to get started on my brumby/Ej20T conversion.

Am at the stage or sourcing an engine & gearbox.

Can someone who has done the work explain to me a few things.

Which EJ20 Turbo engine do I ideally want? I've read that the DOHC models required the chassis cut, SOHC dont. I don't mind which either way.
I'd like to get the car engineered so its all legit. The welding work is not a problem for me.

Also the ideal engine is from which donor car?
This is the most confusing part. Im looking at buying a car from auction but dont know what models and year range had the EJ20T.

Hope this isnt too vague, just chasing up a few different options and getting confused.

Also anyone from Victoria have any info regarding engineering it?

Thanks heaps!

niterida · Post by **niterida** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 6:02 pm

Firstly there is officially no such thing as an EJ20T - the T just denotes Turbo but is not used by Subaru. There is EJ20G, K, R and a few others. Do some research if you want to know all the differences. Much easier to determine what model/year you want. Basically any 98 or earlier will be the easiest.

1989-1993 Liberty RS (same as imported Legacy GT) use a closed deck block so can handle more boost if you mod them later, but they have a rocker style valve actuation and can have noisy tappets. If you replace the heads with WRX ones to get rid of the rockers and tappet nosie then you also need to replace the pistons or the compression ratio will be too high and you will get detonation and destroy the pistons and/or block.

1994-1998 Legacy GT-B motors are supposed to have stronger internals - forged pistons and rods etc

Early STi RA WRX (Version 2 & 3 or V2/V3) motors are also supposedly forged pistons and rods etc and have better flowing heads and more aggressive cams and ECU tunes.

And lastly all WRX/RS/GT turbo motors are DOHC so you WILL have to mod the chassis to make it fit - unless you do it my way - in which case you change the rest of the car but leave the chassis rails alone

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:54 pm

Thanks for the info there..

Thoughts on somethin like this?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/JDM-Subaru-F ... 4d139784b1

niterida · Post by **niterida** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:07 pm

Ben at Ichiban is a good guy - he is a Subaru guy and is very active on rslibertyclub.org.

But you could almost buy a whole Forester for that much. And Foresters have a much smaller turbo and probably a few other details differences.

The newer you go the harder the conversion is in regards to the electronics.

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:33 pm

Hmm. well Ichiban have a couple of GTB legacy halfcuts.. But they are Twin turbos.

It seems quite difficult to actually find the gear for this project lol

niterida · Post by **niterida** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:57 pm

Yeah ideally you want a V2-V5 Sti (94-99). V2/3 are getting older and harder to find.
V4/5 are still quite expensive.
Gen 2 Liberty/Legacy (1994-1998) GT/GT-B are twin turbo so will cost $1000-1500 to convert to single
Gen 1 Liberty/Legacy are getting very old and they have the (supposedly) inferior heads - but they are your cheapest option.

Maybe try to find a complete going car and then you can sell other bits from it to recoup some money. I have seen early WRX's go for around $3000 and Gen 1 Liberty/Legacy for even less - I bought my Genuine AUDM RS Wagon for just $2000

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:32 pm

thanks again for the info, I might have to start with the rest of the car and get my parts in due course.

Have big plans for this little brumby

niterida · Post by **niterida** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:46 am

neo__04 wrote:thanks again for the info, I might have to start with the rest of the car and get my parts in due course.

Have big plans for this little brumby

Good Luck

Not trying to start a pissing contest - but I bet your plans aren't as big as mine

rtcb65 · Post by **rtcb65** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 6:57 am

You mean to build one like this ,showthread.php?t=23099

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:17 am

rtcb65 wrote:You mean to build one like this ,showthread.php?t=23099

I too would suggest you just buy Jeff's Brumby. By the time you buy the 1/2 cut, fit it. engineer it, etc.. you will spend much more than just buying this car.

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:44 pm

Well the thing is, I already have a very clean brumby. Been in the family 10-15 years, extended family a few years longer. Its more the fact of its going to be a project for me and the old man. Doing it all ourselves. I could easily buy a car finished. But theres no better feeling than doing the work yourself and seeing it finished at the end.

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:43 pm

For sure.. Don't let me stop you and having building yourself gives you a much larger smile on your face once it's completed.

As for doing it yourself, I would check with your local road rules on what can be done and how it is to be recorded and checked.

As for what engine you should use, it depends on who deep your pocket is and whether your arms are also long or short

All the turbo engines in Aus are DOHC, so if you're wanting a turbo, then it's modify chassis rails it is, again these are things you'll need to checked, as to what you can do and how it can be done. Other items to modify are Crossmembers, Tail Shaft, CV Shafts, Fuel Tank, Firewall and Brakes. Most of the other bits can be swapped/replaced with geniune parts from a donor car. Which I would say (buying a donor car) will be your best option as this will give you all the major parts you require and you'll be able to sell off all the rest once your car is complete. I would suggest buying a early model WRX as these are fairly cheap and are easy to work on.

Wiring can be a little painful but I'd chat to a few of the boys from here, Like Gannon or Subarino, as these guys do this for funzies (and some extra $$ too)

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:02 pm

neo__04 wrote:Also anyone from Victoria have any info regarding engineering it?

Yep - contact one of these engineers before you start any work.

Trick is to find one that's not too busy to take you and your project on board.

Cheers

Bennie

chinski · Post by **chinski** » Fri Nov 01, 2013 6:39 pm

mate you won't be disapointed with the brumby ! such a fun little car to have a turbo AWD engine in !!

i bought mine already converted but its running engine & trans from a 2001 STI forester, which the guys that did the build tell me is a TD04 turbo & is basically a WRX engine compared to GT forester with smaller turbo & maybe smaller cams ? i'm not sure.

have fun mate & keep us posted

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:43 pm

yeah i cant wait. Its going to be a reasonably drawn out build as im going to do all the body first, cut out all the rust and get it perfect then it will get a full respray so it looks new again. Power windows & central locking then. Then the stereo, Google Nexus 7 in the dash, music, music clips, navigation, bt phone into it, running through a nice set of 6.5" splits and a 12" sub. Then the engine and gearbox will be done. So I've got a while to source my drive train. Which will be the hardest part.

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 9:03 pm

The longer you leave it, the harder to find a Jap Import 1/2 cut but you should be able to find some cheaper Aussie WRXs at the auctions. The Aussie ones will have higher Kms but at least you'll get all the parts you need. As chinski has mentioned, you can use the early SF5 GT Forester engine as well but they are lower spec but in the MY you really couldn't notice the difference.

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Tue Nov 05, 2013 6:58 am

thanks again for the info.

never bought from the auctions. Most auction sites have the km listed and whether its a write off/ repairable write off etc etc... Can you find out if these cars are running fine.
Ideally a car with rear end damage is perfect. But id hate to buy something without knowing it runs. Anyone have experience here?

chinski · Post by **chinski** » Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:11 am

i've bought a postie bike from the auctions & they start all the bikes first & you can have a look at them running then they ride them onto the lot for auction, they did the same with cars but not sure if its major rear end damage what they do, actually i think it's different auctions, repairable write offs ( driveable / repairbale / re-registerable ) , statutory write off ( parts only ) . that's how i understand, best to rock up to afew auctions & register & see how it all goes down.

just found out my engine & trans from the 2001 STi forester in my brumby IS a MY00 WRX engine

neo__04 · Post by **neo__04** » Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:28 am

Oh nice... score for you!

Yeah bit unsure of the auction process. There are a few online auction sites, have found a couple of cars, a 97 and a 2001 wrx. One is impact damaged vehicle, which is basically hit around the fuel cap, the other is theft damage, both look fine. Just like to know they run!

I'll call them and find out

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Nov 05, 2013 4:30 pm

Generally you can presume that the engine is good if the car has been written off anywhere other than the front end.

Flat out rear end damage can punch the retainer clip in the back of the gearbox, this can cause the rear drive to fail/gearbox no go forward/reverse or cause total failure due to a foreign object getting in the gearsets.

Best is to be there to have a look and make a decision. I remember when I got my EJ22 from the parts yards I was the same - I didn't want to do head gaskets/rebuild etc and was a bit paranoid about it - all over a $125 engine! Got a good one though

Keep looking and you'll find what you're after - there's no rush! You've got to find an engineer first

Cheers

Bennie