Subaru engine suppliers

Why not go down to your local AC VW service place and ask if they know any one local that can do a Soob swap . It's not that tricky to do and could be a good money maker for them.

Sorry I should have clarified, the car is still being built, it has no engine in it at all right now. I'm just trying to find the best source to buy an engine from. What I'm looking for are reputable suppliers of subaru engines for this build, and I'm curious what people's recommendations are.

I think I've heard that Vintage Motorcars uses Outfront Motorsports as their engine source, but I can't confirm that.

Thanks!

Give Carey Hines ( @chines1) at Beck a call or IM.  He might be able to offer some advice as well.  Mike Fincher (Fincher Motorsports) is the Suby engine builder of choice for Beck.  He uses new short blocks I believe.

I see entire wrecked cars on Craigslist and Facebook for cheap.  You just need to carefully pick the model (due to some extra unwanted electronics on some newer ones).  That way you can get all the electronic sensors and wiring.  Sell the remaining pieces and scrap the body.  Engine go 200k miles.  You can rebuild it or at least change the timing belt, head gaskets and water pump.  Polish or powder coat to customize.

I notice many more in the NE coast - compared to FL (and maybe Phoenix) but they are out there.  Several here have gone that route.  Seems design of cooling is tricky - getting that last air bubble to burp.

Here's good reference -

Conversion Perversions. - Shoptalkforums.com

Which engine to choose -

Subaru Engines In Beetles - Which engine to choose? - Shoptalkforums.com

I believe Vintage Motorcars use Outfront engines.   At least he is for my Spyder.  They are only a few miles apart.

JDM  sells complete engines out of wrecked Subaru's. Some with transmissions attached.   They are on a pallet ready to ship.  Be sure to get all the electronics with it.

This will make it a lot easier to get running correctly.......Bruce

Thanks everyone this is exactly what I needed!

The wiring and sensors are a vital part of install.  There are places that will modify the wiring harness - last I looked it was $600.  The entire harness is pretty daunting DIY.

@VKannan   what @WOLFGANG said ^  unless you are knowledgeable about such things as fuel injection ...wiring...relays and such that go along with a "STAND ALONE" subie swap....your situation sounds like a "save your $dough$ and hire a pro" scenario ....that RABBIT HOLE nightmare is always lurking....just IMHO

We did a Outfront Motorsports built EJ207 in a 1959 lowlight Ghia that has been churning out 420hp at the wheels. Its been two years of Bobby blazing it down the road. He even drives it to VW shows a few states over. Not a single problem.

Awesome Ghia!

Outfront. Greg Leach at VMC uses Outfront. I have a 2018 VMC Spyder with the 200 hp Outfront engine. It has a stock lower end with built heads. It’s crazy fast and revs to 7500 rpms in the flick of the throttle in any gear. It has been completely reliable.  Mine was a bit pricier since I specified a new short block.

I'm having VMC build my speedster with a Subaru stroker motor from Outfront Motorsports. John was great to work with and made the build a breeze. I asked for some special additions to the build and John made it happen. I visited him a while back and got to see and hear my motor fire up for the first time. Hope it will be on the road soon.

@Butcher Boy is that the L52 (200hp) motor or the Z52 (240hp) motor? I’ve been looking at the L52 version for my build.

@VKannan, Outfront deals with Subaru engines.  The models you quoted are Nissan engines.

Since Dave posted his, here's my Outfront engine (soon to be in a running car I hope! )

Same positive comments working with John and having my particular interests addressed in the kind of engine I wanted for my car

I wanted an O2 sensor, as example to assist with tuning, and so it's wired up and  Greg can put a bung in the exhaust; some other little things I wanted specific and of course the color.

And while we're at it here's my OutFront Z head motor with the polished look sitting on the bench. It's in the car now, but no pics available from Greg.

@Jim Kelly posted:

@VKannan, Outfront deals with Subaru engines.  The models you quoted are Nissan engines.

I was referring to the head designation. John calls his EJ’s either L25 or Z25 depending on which heads he uses, the latter being more powerful.

That's a thing of beauty! A lot of manhours of spit and shine went into that!

Thanks for sharing your experiences @msjulie and @JMM (Michael), it’s really reassuring to hear good reports. I think I’m going to go with that option and I’ll keep everyone updated as the build progresses!

@VKannan  If it is a new build from Greg it just makes perfect sense to use John, unless you really know what your doing with building a car.  Just the proximity of the two alone will reduce your headaches.

Hi all,

Just to close the loop on this, I put my deposit down with Outfront today. Thank you for helping me make the decision!

Which engine. Stock 2.5, 2.5 with built heads like mine or 2.6 stroker?

Just an FYI. John at Outfront sources his engines from Japan. It is technically illegal to run these engines on American streets. I don’t know if any states check engine serial numbers for registration. But you might want to check your state’s registration process. It’s actually one of the reasons I specified a new short block. The serial number is on the short block. So my engine has an American serial number.

Does anyone know what the rules are for this in Arizona? That’s where I’m based.

I’m getting the lightly modified L head that makes 200hp on 91 octane. Should be plenty of fun and still able to reliably handle the long road trips we do in our fun cars. I expect this will be a pretty high mileage car. I’ve driven them before and really enjoyed longer trips.

That’s my engine. Mileage will depend on gearing. You will likely need a 5 speed to get decent mileage on the highway. I’m at 4000 rpms at 70 mph in 4th. But my Spyder rarely goes on the highway. Just straight into the mountains.

@550 Phil do you have the freeway flyer gearing in your 4 speed? What ratio do you have? Highway capability is a must for me, we do tons of road trips. This is great info.

A Subie 5 speed could be as low as 2800rpm at 70 but normally 3100rpm. Depending on r&p

I’ve got a 3.88 R&P. Don’t know if 3.44 R&Ps are available but that would help. My car is set up for track and scooting through the mountains. Not sure about ratios but it’s geared low with no freeway flyer. With that much power your car could easily handle a 3.44 R&P. But if you are doing a lot of highway driving I’d really recommend a 5 speed. I’m going to put  Porsche 901 5 speed in my Conv D for highway capability. But a Subaru 5 speed would be a great choice. Who is building your car?

The nice thing is that you will have 4 close ratio gears and a cruising 5th which will be the same 4th as the 4 speed tranny to keep the engine turning fast enough for your fan to cool the engine.  It will be fun to drive .

@550 Phil posted:

Which engine. Stock 2.5, 2.5 with built heads like mine or 2.6 stroker?

@550 Phil what hp/torque do you get ou of the ej25 with heads. Are the head bolt on from stock short block WJ 25. What headers at you using?