Of course they'll say that, cause compared to the '02-03 trannies they are.

 

Wow those prices are outrageous. For about the same you could just buy the lgt gears and the trans completely rebuilt.

Those are used...

 

Notice also that that vendor is no longer around and that thread is from 2005. Were people in 05 really still opting for RA gear sets instead of LGT or switching out to an STi?

 

Only gears that are beefier are the RA gears. Not STi gears. If you look at the other link you will see some 5mts with RA designation and others without.

 

No one knew the LGT gears were RA style gears.

So people paid huge money for JDM transmissions only to break them too.

That gave way to the case flex theory. But reality is poor driving, too much power and bad installations.

The LGT/RA gears are legit though. Just gotta do it right.

 

Impreza WRX Club Inc. Forum • View topic - GC8 Gearbox, WRX and STI any different?

Good info there, looks like theres very little difference in strength from the WRX and STI. Just the RA is stronger and the later models have stronger cases.

I know where to buy the LGT gear set and install kit for GC8's, anyone know where in the bay to rebuild it?

 

Kevin at Auto HQ rebuilt my trans and I've been happy with his service. His prices were not bad on labor either.

Other than him, LIC Motorsports in the north bay for sure.

 

One thing to remember is that WRX came in RA trim as well.

 

Evolution of the STi

Ya. Looks like I'm wrong.

 

Subaru Wrx 2003 113,xxx

7700 obo for a clean bugeye with 113k.. doesnt sound too bad. Just needs timing belt, but ed does that for 850 OTD I think

 

uh 07 is identical to 06? I thought that the vf43 came about, I also thought there were some changes to the internals? Also doesn't appear to mention the changing of the oil pump in the tranny?

Think that article is missing quite a bit.

 

Scam?

2003 wrx sedan nice mods

2002 wrx sti for sale or trade

jdm wrx sti for sale or trade

 

looks scammy to me

 

Must have been raced to the ground

 

Yeah, that is true - but - to be fair, I seriously didn't get it until I tried doing a swap myself. When I was in the market, you would need to spend around $8-$12k to get an STi donor car, then whatever to get the swap car (eg, the '01 RS Coupe I bought for $10k, the POS '98 RS I bought for $4k, or my '95 L Coupe I traded for all the crap I didn't want in my tool shed). Then, you or a shop needs to dis-assemble both cars, merge the wiring, assemble the swap car, and dispose of all the extra crap. After that, the car needs to be aligned, tuned. Often this involves having the car hauled places and lots of time. Then, you need to BAR it. You could end up spending $30k or more for this if you were set on STi parts, and needed a shop to do the work. You are dealing with parts that were kicked around in different scenarios, and need to be ready for a gearbox that is hosed or a turbo that dies at the first tuning appointment. You are dealing with a car that has been completely dis-assembled and then re-assembled in a way the manufacturer never intended, and there will be problems.

One HUGE reason (of the many) that I aborted my swap project is that after doing some math, I estimated I would be out at least another $15k for labor to get mine drivable - let alone done as in tuned, aligned, BAR'd, etc. So probably much more than that. I estimate that I had already paid around $10k for the parts I had accumulated (a garage FULL of Impreza bits, interiors, doors, 3 dashes, steering columns, etc etc etc).

I realized this was not a car I was going to keep forever, or even for a very long time. If I went to sell it and had to deal with some of the bull**** I have read in here from the knowledge-free deductions of value, I would have wanted to stab myself in the face with one of my spare sets of JDM front control arms. It would be pretty funny to hear that my swapped coupe was only worth $10k after spending nearly half that just to purchase the transmission. The person I bought most of my parts from had just previously spent around $8k to have a shop swap in a brand new Spec.b 6spd after the RS transmission exploded. Only a true idiot would say something like that he paid too much, because they do not know the situation and probably have never paid someone to have that done.

I have heard "stories" about people spending less for things, BARing a car with all kinds of illegal crap, and many other things that I would have to see to believe. I know how long I searched for an STi transmission, and I know how much a few people actually paid for theirs. I saw a few STi swap kits (drivetrain and brakes) but it makes a lot more sense to just get a donor car, if you have the time/space and ability to handle the logistic issues, or cash to pay someone else to do so.

My guess is, you wouldn't buy a swap. I have seen great work done in garages, and seriously frightening work that was done in shops. Point is, you have the car inspected if you don't know enough to check it out. At the very least it gets put on a lift and some quality time with a flash-light.

Agreed, that car was gorgeous. But - I guess I pay too much for things. Or, I am honest about it when recalling what happened. I cannot imagine my swap scenario was loads different from other people's experiences, though only a few people have showed me receipts or been truly open with explaining how much things cost. I would love to have a swapped '00 Impreza sedan or something, or my dream of a 22B-like car, but I know it will never happen at this point.