Unique Motorsports

This is the original article from when I built up my original kit in 1999.

Disclaimer: This article is written for information purposes only. In no way do I suggest doing this. If you do… this information should be interpreted as a tool or learning device, not a “how to.” I take no responsibility for what you do on your time. That being said, this information is correct to the best of my knowledge.

Introduction:

After seeing turbo cars pop up in magazines and after owning a 1990 Eagle Talon TSI Turbo, I decided to look into turbo charging the Impreza even more. Once Minnam Racing came out with a turbo kit for the Impreza, I realized that it is possible to feasibly turbocharge an Impreza. At this time the thought of 4 spinning tires, neck-break acceleration, and the quarter mile times of a Porche 911 turbo were mostly just fantasy. Soon after however, something pushed me over the edge. The March 1999 turbo magazine. On page 130 lies Byron’s now 500+ horsepower daily driver Impreza.

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Disclaimer: This article is written for information purposes only. I have done a lot of research on these subjects and though to my belief it may be true, I do not take responsibility for any misinformation. These are the most common questions I get and so I thought I would write a FAQ. If you have any questions or comments please fill out the feedback form.

How much boost will my Impreza handle?

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Finally a chance to build something using melted steel. Not sure what it is about basic fabrication work, but it’s almost always a good time. Add to that, I haven’t actually made anything in a while so it’s nice to keep the skills fresh.

The project started by loading up my welder, 4.5” angle grinder, electric die grinder, wire brush, gloves, welding helmet, porting bits and a few other misc fabrication tools into the Skittle and headed off to James for some work on his Beastly rear wheel drive Impreza.

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After making this picture video collage, it makes me wish I took more pictures. I’ll be replacing this post with a small write up and images later. For now though, here are the install pictures set to Linkin Park.

I have installed a few different types of headers and there are two brands that stand out for quality and fitment.The GT Spec Header and Perrin both stand out above the rest. Here are some photos and information regarding a pair of GT Spec headers on a WRX.

GT Spec made a beautiful header and up pipe combination. The welds look great, the gauge of the steel feels strong, the collectors are formed well, the 3 bolt flange for the up pipe while being difficult to bolt down should keep it from leaking. My only complaint and I’m hoping it just didn’t make it into the package is they do not include studs to bolt the up pipe to the turbo. We had some issues removing stock studs so we made it to Subaru minutes before closing only to find out, they don’t actually sell up pipe studs. We had to get the studs which mount the headers to the exhaust manifold. Not ideal, but it did get us through the install. If you decide to go with this well made setup, you might first get some studs from here.

Installing the headers proved to be a little tricky. Even with loosening the expansion joint, only 5 of the six bolts would line up. We tried Darin at one side and myself at the other, still no go. A pry bar didn’t do much help either. I decided to put a little back into it as they say and borrowing from a jiu jitsu move I placed myself sideways under the headers, locked my elbows into my hips and thrust my 115 pound frame up and into the driver side header which created enough force it actually seated all the way onto the studs. And with that and a simple “yeah, who’s your daddy now, BITCH” it was mounted.

Now the next challenge was bolting the header to the up pipe. The location of 2 of the three bolts require a bit of patience to tighten down along with 2 14mm standard box end wrenches. As I’m writing this, I wish I would have taken a picture, but suffice to say it can be done.

Torque everything down, reinstall the down pipe, reinstall the heat shield, check to make sure everything is good. Start the car, listen for leaks, reinstall lower splash guard and take for a test run. Pauls initial reaction included exposed teeth and comments such as “I don’t even have to get on it to feel the difference.” I’ll be adding the GT Spec header and up pipe combo to my recommended list based on this install and his reactions.

Most of this install is straight forward, there are however a few things to watch out for.

1. The lower cross-member will need to be modified to clear the headers. When I first heard about this I was a little concerned; however, after seeing how much it’s really not a big deal. Basically, just tap a flat piece of the cross member in less than a quarter of an inch. I used a 2.5 pound hammer for this and with a couple of gentle taps it was done. Picture number 6 kind of shows this.

2. The 3 bolt flange is great for avoiding an up pipe leak between the exhaust manifold and the uppipe, however getting to those bolts is no easy task. Don’t let this discourage you though as the end results are well worth it.

3. Get some studs before starting this and have them installed as reusing the stock studs does not always work out.

4. We had a bit of an issue with the spacing. 5 of the 6 exhaust manifold bolts were groovy… the last, not so much. I used a simple jui jitsu toss where an elbow lock and hip thrust was able to massage everything into place.

That pretty much covers it other than the standard exhaust manifold and up pipe install. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments.