not sure why it hasnt been mentioned but I would go with LIC. Their motor in their track car withstood a bunch of track abuse and would only come out for refreshes at the end of the season.

 

I went with fw motorsports because he built my transmission prevously and he had the quickest turnaround. I was in a time pinch, he started building my motor before I got there (2L with wiseco pistons, acl bearings, sti crank, oem resurfaced heads) and he kept my old longblock to help keep costs down. Its not a full tear down and rebuild so the labor costs aren't as bad (from what I understood, Paul will have to chime in to be sure about it this was a few years ago.)

I'm on stock td04 so I'm not making a lot of power but I've beat on the engine 30k miles and no oil consumption, it's a little loud but that doesn't bother me


His customer service is top notch, I went from santa Cruz to get the work done multiple Times...

If roseville is to far I would personally go to adam aquino at AA engineering in mountain view. He used to work with Paul and they are the only two to touch the engine besides me in a few years

 

EQ built my hybrid engine and did the head work on my car. Around 15k on it so far and going strong. I'm not easy on cars fyi. I talked to them multiple times to outline what I wanted before ever pulling the trigger. They have alot of experience at building hybrids which is what I was looking for.

I recommend getting an idea of what you want and calling up different places to chat and feel them out. I called around and got very different vibes place to place and some didn't bother to return my calls.

 

FW did my hybrid build when I had the bugeye. Ran for 5+ years and 45k+ miles before I sold it. Its still running AFAIK for the new owner of the car.

 

As you can see, everyone has a different answer. Do your research and choose.

 

RBMS built my motor and did my 6speed/STI drivetrain swap. Support local man. Thats all I recommend.

 

this. Theirs something to be said about that.

 

The reason for that is the majority of iclub members live in the south and east bay. LIC is significantly farther away than the aforementioned shops, for that clientele. That being said, I hear they do great work.

 

Here's the deal... call the shop. Go with the one that you feel the most confidence with.

FW/Paul. He's fast. He's honest. He's got integrity for miles. Travis/Snail is tuning there now. Great combination.

LIC. If you're in the north bay there is no one better. In the subaru world in general I do not think there is a more **** shop. These dudes are the original RS/WRX swappers. They've been doing motor swaps longer than any other shop in the bay area. Also... integrity for miles. No in house dyno.

RBMS. He uses the same machine shop as Mike does at GST. He's quick. He's reasonably priced. He's a good dude. No in house dyno.

GST. Well... the L just sat on the side lines for 2 years came in for one event and crushed everyone setting another track record in the process. His machine shop is second to none when it comes to big builds and so is his tuning. If you're looking for big power this is the place to go.


That's my run down of the only shops that would touch my car when it came to engine builds.


Mike and Travis are the only tuners I'd even consider let touching my car nation wide.


Paul. Mike. The Levy's. Mert.

All those guys have been part of the bay area subaru community for a long long time. Especially the levy's, paul and mike. They've been helping out BAM since before it was BAM. They still help out. They are the business' and people that keep this place going.


Other shops to consider. People love Ed over at EQ. He's another shop that can build and tune in house. He's also a BAM supporter. But my heart lies with the Mike/Paul/Levy's/Mert. That's just me. Many others live and die by EQ.




Soo..... in short.

If you live in Sac. Go to Paul/Snail.
If you live in the North Bay go to LIC/GST
If you live in the bay and want big ponies go to GST.
If you live in the bay and want minimal down time and aren't as concerned about a monster build but still want a quality motor and quality tune. Go to RBMS/GST.

 

A big piece of this to remember, and it applies to EVERY shop, is the person actually building the motor is the machine shop. The shop you go to is going to be the one assembling your longblock. The real meat is done by the machinist. Learn who that shop/person is. Know who is working on the insides and then add that to who is working on the assembly.

That being said I can't say enough good things about Mert @RBMS. Great guy, great turn around, and very detail oriented. They use the same machine shop that GST has been using for over 10 years and have a solid reputation. Can't go wrong.

Same can be said for GST.

 

Who is assembling the motor build at gst? Just curious.

 

Ask mike?

 

Werd.

 

Either my mechanic (an ex-Subaru tech) or myself!