Greetings all. About a month ago I purchased my buddy's 1996 Impreza Brighton LX AWD 5 speed coupe. The car has 151k miles and has a leaky exhaust that was poorly patched/welded prior to my ownership as well as a leaky cam seal which I am told is common with these engines.

This car is my daily driver, I do not want to do anything wild like a WRX/STI engine swap nor am I interested in a 2.2 or 2.5 swap. I have a turbocharged Plymouth Neon for my weekend fun. This motor runs smooth and I plan on sticking with it but my only complaint is that it needs more torque. I live in the mountains and I need more power to get me up the steep inclines here.

I am not trying to start a camp war here, but I am in need of vendor's links so that I may shop for parts for this car. I've searched through the threads here, the general concensus here seems to think undriven crank pulleys are a no no, so I am looking for a decent lightweight pulley. Any particular brand you guys prefer for the 1.8L. I have an Unorthodox Racing pulley on my Neon and I love it, it's given me 3 trouble-free years. The intake silencer has been done away with, it has been replaced with a K&N style cone filter.

Would an exhaust piping and muffler upgrade be worth the expense? From what I've read on here, 2.25" would be about right for what I am trying to accomplish. A local exhaust shop quoted me $225.00 for a custom made 2.25" catback but i'd have to supply my own muffler.

I am open to any suggestions you guys have. You are all much more experienced with these cars than I am. Thank you
Jason