JDM homies

[Sarra]

Yeah, a friend of mine is going to Japan during the summer time. Should I hand her a few $$$ and ask her to bring back a JDM BE, or some just find an STi front clip and ship it back? I'd pay for tax, shipping, car or engine, etc. Kinda wanting to stick some kind of 2.0T into my BE, and I'd LOVE to get some kind of sporty suspension, but the stock cushy suspension is good for logging roads so I'm not sure if I want to change that at all. =\

If I get her to bring back the entire car, I'd basically part it and either scrap the chassis or sell it to someone who would like to use it for racing.

Hmm, maybe she can send me a 22b... Oh wait, I don't have THAT much money. :(

[Wiscon_Mark]

you could get a buttload for all the exterior pieces from other BE owners, that would help make up for the cost of shipping it over...

[gator gt]

Sounds like a cool girl!!!

It depends on what kind of power you want. Also, where do you want to start out in terms of used mileage on the clips?

If you have the moola for clips, go for the most recent STi version: 9. Get front and rear, so that you have all drivetrain pieces to make a full conversion. You'll also have ALL wiring...and may even feel like swapping seats and such while you're at it.

If you have the money and space, clips are cheaper in the long run.

Then you could part out the WRX stuff to domestic boys....they are always hungry for JDM goodness.

GGT

[Sarra]

you could get a buttload for all the exterior pieces from other BE owners, that would help make up for the cost of shipping it over...

School (and drug side effects) have killed my brain, it took me 4 tries to understand what you meant. :p

That's a good idea. I might even be able to pay for the entire thing just by selling the wing... Put it up on Ebay... Heh.

I'm not looking for mad power, just something that can get my 3400 lb Legacy to hang out with a stock 2005 STi. I really want to do full suspension, motor, and tranny, but I just don't have that kind of money. And yeah, wiring... I'd have an abundance of it. I'd probably end up doing the swap myself... I'd have to steal the front X member from the front clip, right?

I don't really care about milage, I just want something that will last for a while. I might also be able to sell some of the other stuff, like turbo and intake, since I'm kinda thinking about going my own way with that (FMIC and hopefully an alcohol kit that can be used with an FMIC). Use a 20 or 30 shot of Nitrous to get an instant spool on the turbo...

[Huffer]

Shopping for clips and car parts in Japan isn't like walking down to the local mall...

there's a veritable minefield of shipping regs, tax duties, and just plain out language barriers to navigate.

[badbasser98]

if you get the whole thing.. i call dibs on the front bumper, lights, grille, hood and side fenders :wink: Of course, that's depending on the year of the car as to how much i need... really only wanted the bumper and lights, but there have been several revisions to the front ends of the Legacy's over there :roll: so depending on the year, i would need the enitre front clip to make the pieces i want work...

[Sarra]

Shopping for clips and car parts in Japan isn't like walking down to the local mall...

there's a veritable minefield of shipping regs, tax duties, and just plain out language barriers to navigate.

I'm not going to Japan, I'm just giving the cash to a friend. She'll have a translator with her (and she speaks Japanese pretty fluently anyway).

I'm leaning toward a full car, so I can swap more than just the engine and tranny, maybe a few other bits as well, like wheels, suspension, hood, etc.

Also debating between a NA 3 liter or a turbo 2 liter.

I'd probably end up with an earlier 90's car, but then it depends on what is available. I'd love to get a 2000 Turbo, ship the entire thing home, and just go to town, but that doesn't seem like it'll be an option right now. :(

[Wiscon_Mark]

Get a BG, I might have money by that time :D

[Sarra]

Yeah, this won't happen until July or so. =\

I may not be able to last that long, my current motor is going out. When you really get on it, the power isn't smoothe, like the engine is struggling. Fresh oil change, it's been about 800 miles since it was changed. We'll see, though. I really would like this motor to last, then I could sell it for a few bucks. Whoever owned this car was dumb crap, they didn't take care of it at all.