Borla type N/A headers

[Guest]

Does anyone know where to get these or similar? Kinda thinking of making my own with a bit of cut and paste on an OEM header if i can't find some easily.

[nzkaosnz]

hey.... i have some NA aftermarket headers floating about -need some repairs/reconstruction tho (just looking for pics now)

[Shale]

I hear it's better to get the knockoffs instead of the Borlas...which crack :-\

[nzkaosnz]

This is them - however they have been cut just after y-pipe - so you will need about 1-2" of pipe to join up with midsection

Sorry, these are all the pics i have atmo - they are now in shed - will get photo up on mon.

[Guest]

ok yeah i know about the knock off borla's, i've seen them a while ago on eBay. Thats the kinda thing i'm after.

nzkaosnz - Where about are you located? are the remains for sale? those type are available on trade me at the mo' from a bloke in chch but they are pretty rough. Can you tell me, did they make the boxer rumble from an N/A? From what I've heard of the Borla ones on youtube they definitely do. It's due to the un-equal length of the headers and how the Borla type come right around the front of the sump like a turbo cross-pipe. The ones you have look like the ones for a BC or BF legacy which mount the cat in the Y pipe section. My BG mounts like the Borla onto the cat with a flange just where the two banks meet, and this I'd like to retain for potential emissions reasons.

Yeah i know I'm being a pretentious wanker by wanting some different headers purely for the sound they make, I'm not looking for performance otherwise I'd rip the EJ22 out in a heart beat. A wrx engine has been on the drawing board for a long time (couple a years) but due to financial constraints is on hold until at least the end of the year.

[Guest]

Oh i just realized that those would be a cat delete but still bolt up to the mid pipe! Duh.... (i'm assuming the cat has a flange on the back that bolts to the mid pipe)

So i could fit these and run with no cat, then change the cat and OEM manifold back in if i ever needed the cat for any reason?

[Shale]

I considered slapping something like that on my N/A a few years back. Decided to go with an A-Spec muffler instead and listen to that husky howl

Ironically enough I'm looking at doing a monster EJ22 N/A. Won't be cheap but it'll be fscking fun

Are we talking about an N/A Leggy wagon here?

[Guest]

Yeah N/A Brighton 220 wagon to be precise. 94 first of the BG's. Was an Auto (they all are i think) and i've done a manual conversion about 3 years ago. has all the GT exterior trims added, the skirts and lips an boot spoiler and the GTB 17" rims.

Looks the part just goes shit, however i commute in it a reasonable distance every day so N/A is good on the fuel bill.

I've considered a few options on re-powering it, just going to a 2.5 N/A, or a rex motor, even thought about supercharging the 2.2 lol. It will be a project car at the end of the year when i buy a new commuter so it's not a fuel bill worry then ;D

[ReubenH]

If you want to stick with N/A, bileave me, stick with the 2.2!!! They have to be one of the most reliable EJ's ever built. The 2.5 is just a cursed motor, more trouble that it's worth.

I take it it's SOHC too?

Anyway, you want to talk to shale when it comes to messing with N/A's - she's done quite a bit of research, and don't listen to a word of the BS drivvel that comes out of some of the turbo elitists here! (Bileave me, you are going to get ALLOT of shit from these guy's).

If you want to do a turbo swap - sell the car and buy a GTB. It's so much more than a more powerful engine. I used to own 94 BG 2.2 as well, i wanted more power out of it, and was looking at engine swaps and stuff. it really really really is not worth the trouble when you can just go and buy a GTB. So that's what i did, and i have LOVED it to bits ever since.

[Shale]

Haha yeah that's the stuff - if I wanted to go turbo on this car I'd probably just buy an STi and keep this one as an econobox (but that's why I have the GT, lmao).

The EJ22 is d00mbox, rock solid as roobs said there. It needs better heads and better compression ratio for more power that's for sure, definitely aftermarket computer (mmmmm LinkPLUS G4). They're expensive to upgrade because we're not talking about the monster SRX engine here, but at least they don't go BANG very often ;D

While we're on the topic of UELs though...

You may find a teeny bit of a drop in power and torque with the burbling headers - depends how in tune with the vehicle you are and how hard you push it. The even-length headers have better scavenging from what I understand...even though we're not talking tuned-length (*drool*) headers here. However, that's thoroughly offset by the sound ;D Which will probably be more nasal. Lol. Oh well...

It's not like I'm not doing the same thing :3 Wanna see if I can molest a set of turbo headers into fitting despite some OBVIOUS differences between them - hey, nothing a little extra piping and sailor speak can't fix, eh?

[Guest]

Hey cool thanks for the advice shale. I've heard the 2.2's are solid but have found very little out there in the way of info on N/A subaru engines.

Thought of the turbo header route too, thats the other part of the OEM cut and paste. What heads can i fit that are better breathing? I thought the OEM 2.2 heads had large valves for the capacity, but then i am probably mistaken. Really i just want something of a project toy, all out power and so forth aren't high on my list, but doing my own fab, and engine building two are things that i derive a lot of pleasure from.

What are some of the big differences between my N/A and a GTB, apart from the obvious turbo's. Is it not possible to transfer the loom from an imprezza or GTB into my car to make the engine work? I mean like pretty much re-shelling the mechanical components of a WRX into my car

[Shale]

I guess it's more what the GTBs come with than anything. I had the honour of driving Reuben's car up from Taupo. Freakin' amazing car...the features it has!! It's truly a classy, well-appointed car.

It's possible to do a conversion on a non-turbo car though - you just miss out on a few goodies. But hey. You're making your baby better (fark, I'm making an HX fast. You can make a 2.2 Leggy fast ).

It would be cheap as chips to dump a longblock from an early WRX into your car - they go for about $500 (+GST?) from Strong, complete with everything and tested. They're from the same year as your car thereabouts...newer ones are probably pricier. Far easier than an STi conversion, that's for bloody sure!

As for heads...not sure myself what the in-between stages are, but I'm going insane and dropping STi heads onto an EJ22 block. Going high-compression pistons - possibly race pistons or thereabouts (12.5:1). The STi heads will drop the compression back a little at least. Having quad cam and AVCS is going to be handy, even though there's not turbo going in there. With the wider bore and same shallow stroke, it'll be a high-revver...if they can get an EZ30R to do 9,300rpm then I can make a mere 4-pot do the same ;D (Hopefully without going bang.)

At the very least, the old engine will benefit from going quad-cam if it isn't already. Sucks if you snap the belt, but it wrings a little extra w00t out of the monsters. The SRX will happily do 7,000rpm+, and were the first to get AVCS. That MIGHT be something to look at for parts (or I could be talking out my arse), as they are a 2.0L N/A that brings 155hp to the table from stock.

I found that slapping a filter and wider exhaust on my N/A had some decent results. It runs a little leaner than it used to from memory, because of the POD filter (shush, inner ricer has to creep out sometimes). It's got a 2.5" catback on there too...makes a decent exhaust note. Both mods really woke it up, it's far more keen to get up and go; fuel economy is down slightly, as is VERY low-end torque for the obvious reasons, but the results in the mid to high end are well worth it. Sort of...a fun little extra to tide the bored driver over until the new engine enters the realm of reality ;D

[Guest]

Yeah keeping N/A is something im considering for sure. I've had many of both Turbo and N/A cars over the last 13 years and although the hairdryer method is great for POWAAAHHHHHH i do like a highly strung atmo screamer. An N/A with good power shows skill on the part of the engine builder/tuner.

I have a K&N panel filter already and done the snorkel removal, had a bigger zaust until my last warrent (see WOF thread) but will work on the bigger zaust in conjunction with some UEL headers maybe.

[Shale]

Tis exactly right ;D Its great fun having a great stonking turbo to G-force around in but a highly-tuned N/A screamer is a completely different and equally fun beast

[ReubenH]

 forhire said:

What are some of the big differences between my N/A and a GTB, apart from the obvious turbo's. Is it not possible to transfer the loom from an imprezza or GTB into my car to make the engine work? I mean like pretty much re-shelling the mechanical components of a WRX into my car

Eeer, everything? From brakes to bilsteins, the entire drivetrain, from limited slip diff's to a better clutch, and of course, all factory turbo. then the interior is WAY better (from the centre console to the seats to the little features hear and there), the body kit too with projector lights and fogs...

To drop a turbo into an N/A, you need to consider all of these things (bar the cosmetics), then reloom the car for a turbo, then get it certified on top of it all. It's simply NOT worth it at all.

I don't want to sound forceful at all, but you have 2 options - stick to your N/A, be different, and make something special. Or buy a stock turbo subie.

hah, ninja edit... "Yo dawg, we heard you like posting, so we posted a post in your post so you can post while you post"

[Guest keltik]

Or alternatively run a carbed distributor EG33 in there on race methanol - thatd be different and more awesome than you can shake a stick at with no re-loom required

[ReubenH]

Now there's an idea. Forgot about that one ;D

[Shale]

That's a freakin good point. People don't do a heck of a lot with the EG33, especially since the advent of 3.0L awesomeness.

SVX-powered insanity in an old Leggy...legendary

[Guest]

Yeah i under stand the drive train stuff like the gearbox and diff, brakes etc, but the cosmetics are not an issue. My car already has the cosmetic bits of a GTB, the seats and exterior trims and spoilers, projector headlights and what not, the only bits missing are the face lift bumper and fogs, I have the original pre face lift GT fogs. Bilsteins don't concern me either as i already have an all new set of springs and shocks as well as all nolathane bushes.

I guess what my plan was, was to buy a fcuked (crashed) wrx to take the engine, trans diff and brakes out of.

I have thought of all sorts of options, including the 3.0L but i guess it's probably i tight fit.

[Guest keltik]

EG33 requires the radiator to be moved forwards. EZ30 doesnt but i dont know of any distributor that will fit the EZ

[DRFVDR]

and there is a dizzy to fit the EG33(my guess is one from the ej18 one)

[Guest boostcut]

 DRFVDR said:

and there is a dizzy to fit the EG33(my guess is one from the ej18 one)

is a eg33 a 6 cylinder? and a ej18 a four cylinder? also i didnt think a ej18 had a dizzy and the ea82 is the old shitter out of a leone that has a dizzy but a 4cyl would never run a 6.. run a cdi setup or a crank angle sensor to trigger coils

[Guest keltik]

pft and you call yourself a mechanic!! Yes EG33 is a 6 and apparently ford escort distributors fit the EJ22 so it would be too hard to make a 6cylinder setup work. going a bit off topic now

[nzkaosnz]

back to O/P.

The bits pictured still exist - and untouched till after they merge.

However, if its a ej22 - needs a new header flange. Pics tonight if i remember.

[ReubenH]

There's also more than one EJ22. Some have a single exhaust port per head, some have both.