defy perception

logo

2007 Subaru Legacy GT

The fourth generation Subaru Legacy GT (BP/BL, 2005-2009) is one of the best designed Subarus of all time. The design came with very clean lines and body panels (no unnecessary body cladding), great engine and transmission options, and no major Subaru quirks. After previously owning a 1997 Legacy wagon, which was another great generation of Subaru's, I told myself that the only car I would replace my '97 wagon with would be another Legacy wagon. And when the circumstances and opportunity presented itself, I did just that...

See also: My 1,700 mile journey picking up my 2007 Subaru Legacy GT wagon.

My LGT wagon has been a great car. It has all of the size and utility of a small SUV but in the package of a mid-size sedan. In its stock form, it had plenty of power for getting around town and passing other cars on the highway. It's a good daily driver and a great car to take road trips in. It's really the perfect grocery getter, a great car you can take to the hardware store and fit 2x4's or bags of concrete, potting soil, bark dust, etc., great for loading up and going camping or for traveling for soccer tournaments.

In January 2022, while driving to go meet a fellow member from the Legacy GT forums to pick-up some parts, my LGT blew a valve. I didn't know I had blown a valve at the time but would later find out. A few minutes before it blew the valve, I noticed that the car had backfired/hesitated, which was out of the ordinary. I had also noticed that it seemed sluggish or down on power. I continued on the highway and as I was cresting the Tiger Mountain Summit on SR-18, that's when all hell let loose. The car lost all power, the check engine and other lights started flashing on the dash, and there was smoke coming from the passenger side of the hood. I was able to safely limp the car off the highway and into the Tiger Mountain Summit parking lot. Note to self and others: pray that your car never breaks down on SR-18 between Maple Valley and Snoqualmie or the middle of nowhere. It took about six hours to find a tow company that would come get me and another hour to get towed home.

After taking my LGT to my Subaru shop for their assessment, they determined that I had blown a valve and provided me estimates for either rebuilding the motor ($$$) or purchasing an IAG or Outfront performance built motor ($$$$). With both options, they would have the car back to me in a matter of days but unfortunately both options were more than what I was willing to spend at the time and so I had the car towed back home to contemplate on what I was going to do next.

At the time I was contemplating what to do next with the car, there was not another car on the market, in my price range, that seemed worth the money. There were not any cars outside of my price range that I wanted so badly that I was willing to stretch on our budget. This was also at a time where used car prices were high and I wasn't willing to pay a premium for a basic car.

I was entering year five of owning my LGT and up until this point, the car had been trouble free. The LGT was still in great shape and still met my needs. After a few weeks of deliberating, I decided that I was going to rebuild the motor, by myself. I had done some research and priced out and estimated what it would cost and determined it would cost me less than half ($$$/2) of what my shop quoted me. About 10 years earlier, my dad and I had rebuilt the EJ22 in my 1997 Subaru Legacy in about a day and it was mostly straight forward. I watched some Subaru EJ255/7 build videos on YouTube and it looked simple enough...

After purchasing a new Subaru shortblock, which was the most expensive part of the whole process, I was committed. Once the shortblock was purchased, I went on a spree overnighting parts from Japan purchasing all of the additional new parts I would need to complete the rebuild.

As all of the parts were ordered and in the process of being shipped and delivered, I had to get the existing motor out of the car. I didn't have any extra garage space so I had to do this in my driveway. I didn't have an engine hoist, so I needed to buy one ($). I didn't have an engine stand, so I needed to buy one ($). Once I was able to get the motor out of the car, which took about a week longer than I expected ($%@# the siezed engine to transmission bolts), I needed to disassemble the engine to determine which components could be reused.

While rebuilding the motor, I watched a lot of YouTube videos to familiarize myself with rebuilding these motors and discovered a lot of great Subaru builders. In particular, Smeedia and SW Speed. Those two channels and builders create and produce incredibly detailed videos and provide such great explanations. If you're contemplating rebuilding your own EJ motor, I highly recommend these two.

It's been a little more than 2.5 years since I rebuilt the motor and the car has been running flawlessly and is more fun to drive than before. In fact, it's running so well and I am so pleased with the performance that I don't want to touch or modify the car in anyway which is a first for me.

Engine/Transmission:

  • Engine/Block: Subaru EJ 257 Type-RA shortblock
  • Heads: Subaru D25 heads (fully rebuilt)
  • Head Studs: ARP
  • Intake: Suburu EJ25 (stock)
  • Injectors: Stock
  • Oil Pump: Subaru 11mm
  • Oil Pick-up: Morso
  • Turbo: Hill Valley Custom IHI VF52 (billet wheel)
  • Downpipe: Invidia Downpipe
  • Exhaust: Stock Catback Exhaust
  • Tune: Tuned by Pacific Import Auto (19 psi, 280 wheel horsepower, 300 wheel torque)

Wheels/Suspension/Brakes:

  • Wheels: Enkei RPF1 18x8.5 17" Stock Subaru Legacy GT Wheels
  • Tires: Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus (225/40/18) General AS-05 (215/40/17)
  • Suspension: Fortune Auto 500 Coilovers, Swift Springs (7kg), Custom Valved Stock Struts with Koni Yellow (inserts), Swift Springs
  • Control Arms: Mevotech Lower Control Arms (Aluminum)
  • Bushings: Energy
  • Brakes: Factory Calipers, Centric Discs, Akebono Pads

Styling:

  • Front Lip: Bayson R JDM Front Lip
  • Tailights: 2008 Subaru Outback

In-Car Entertainment

  • Display: Custom 7" Android Auto Display
  • Bluetooth: Besign BK01

I'm really pleased with how the car performs. My tuner did such a great job dialing-in the performance. The car has got plenty of power for a daily driver, running errands, and weekend road trips. I've put nearly 20,000 miles on the new motor and the car still pulls strong and is reliable (knock on wood). The car rides firm, is really well-planted and handles like a performance sport wagon should, and yet is still comfortable for daily driving and on long road trips. For being an 18 year old car, it's got its share of dings and scratches that maybe someday I'll have that addressed. But for now, I'm at a point where I'm perfectly content with the car and look for every opportunity to get a third gear pull or find an excuse to carve it up on local backroads.