1997 Legacy l swap

[Biggoose]

I own a 97 legacy wagon and its got the ej22 with the 5spd manual and I love it
but the only problem is it lacks in power, especially with living in Colorado and driving uphill into the mountains

So I want to do a swap but I don't really know what would be the best engine for it is, ive heard the ej257 is good but i dont know much, so my questions are

which engine should I put in my legacy?
Will I need a new transmission with the engine?
is it something I can do myself, or do I need a shop?(if I need a shop to do it, does anyone know of any in denver)
How much will it all cost?


Again I am new to this and don't know a whole lot about swaps, I've read they're really the only way to make a legacy of this year faster.
I have also set myself a budget of $5000 to do this, is that enough, do I need to save up more?

grateful for any input and thanks for reading

[r3v_v3ng3]

Ej257 is great but costly. You'll need the engine/bulkhead harness/ecu/fuel controller and have someone merge it with your existing harness.

Your transmision will work with any ej even the h6's engine as long as your using the same flywheel/clutch setup.

I believe you can use a 96-99 ej25d engine with wiring harness and preferably 97-99 25d ecu. Gives you more power/torque.

Or you can have someone piece you a turbo kit for your ej22 :)

[Biggoose]

Ok, so how much approximately would a turbo kit cost, would it make more sense to just to swap an ej25d?

[prodriver1]

if you live in the mountains I would do a turbo kit for your existing engine, if you live lowlands the EJ25D is the best engine ever! well to me it is;) I have been told by those in the know that a turbo ej22 makes about the same power as a ej25d. a junk yard near you might have a turbo legacy with the ej22t, that will get you everything you need, and Im sure someone on here has something for sale that will work for you.

[Biggoose]

Ok, well it sounds like turbo is the way to go
but I really don't know a whole lot about turbo cars and how they work, I know the basic idea and components, but not all the small things that make them work, so if someone would be kind enough to explain to me what all it is that I will need to turbo my car and also something like a parts list; any help would be greatly appreciated

[lord flashheart]

Biggoose
There are some great information here. Hop over to the "forced induction engine" section. There is a thread that is called "how to turbo a hybrid motor" it will answer a ton of questions. Anothernord, prodriver1, myself and a few others are your gurus. We have all run a bunch of the different setups and can answer your questions.