Brenda the Blue (BRZ)

[DarkPira7e]

That really sucks, sorry to hear. Sounds like she's put in her time and wanted to rest.
Does the body damage bother you? How is the rust? The FA24 swap is still very expensive, being that those engines aren't cheap on the used market. They also have some propensity towards being oil starved by the pickup so used (to me) can be a little scary if it's got some miles on it and I'd end up wanting to rebuild it anyways.

You've got a lot of time into this chassis. Each and every one of them feels different - have you test driven other ones? Do you think a new chassis or new engine would freshen things up for you, or do you want the cozy combo you've known for so long?
Personally, I'd love the fa24 in my car but my goodness is it costly. I've driven the gr86 and it's truly a great engine compared to the 2l.

As far as your aspirations-
How feasible is it to put the car on ice for now? Do you have a way to store it? Is it an option to do nothing for now?

[Lynxis]

I'll answer each of your questions in line.

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

That really sucks, sorry to hear. Sounds like she's put in her time and wanted to rest.
Does the body damage bother you? How is the rust?

Yes, the damage does bother me, but it's not bad enough to justify spending what it will cost to fix, especially for a track car that I'm liable to send into a wall. I honestly figured that's what would happen before I blew the motor but here we are. Rust is minimal because the car isn't driven in the winter except for emergencies.

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

The FA24 swap is still very expensive, being that those engines aren't cheap on the used market. They also have some propensity towards being oil starved by the pickup so used (to me) can be a little scary if it's got some miles on it and I'd end up wanting to rebuild it anyways.

Yeah, they're expensive but the FA20 isn't much cheaper, at least around here they're only 1-2k less for similar condition/mileage. The real cost benefit is that the FA20 is a drop in, while the FA24 needs some work, adapters and tuning. I am looking at doing an FA24 swap right now but this will depend on me being able to find the right engine for the right price. So far, either the motors already gone or isn't what it sounds like in the ad but I have very limited time to look during the day because of work. If I get an FA24, I'll drop the oil pan and clean out the oil pickup before I put it in the car.

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

You've got a lot of time into this chassis. Each and every one of them feels different - have you test driven other ones? Do you think a new chassis or new engine would freshen things up for you, or do you want the cozy combo you've known for so long?
Personally, I'd love the fa24 in my car but my goodness is it costly. I've driven the gr86 and it's truly a great engine compared to the 2l.

I've driven a turbo FRS, and a GR86 with lowering springs and an aero package on track and yeah, they're both very different cars to mine. We all clearly spent our money in very different places and I can confidently say that my money was the best spent in my opinion. My car is just so stable and consistent, I can't imagine doing it different even if I move into a new chassis. Thankfully, all my parts (that I care about anyways) are compatible with the 2nd gen if I decide to do that. Seeing some compelling 2022-2023 BRZs for shockingly low prices.

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

As far as your aspirations-
How feasible is it to put the car on ice for now? Do you have a way to store it? Is it an option to do nothing for now?

Yes, I have space to keep it, but I really don't want to let it sit. Cost of living keeps rising and it's a depreciating asset so if I'm going to fix it, the cheapest time to fix it is now, and if I'm going to sell everything off, it's worth the most it will ever be worth right now as well.

[DarkPira7e]

Originally Posted by Lynxis

I'll answer each of your questions in line.
Yes, the damage does bother me, but it's not bad enough to justify spending what it will cost to fix, especially for a track car that I'm liable to send into a wall. I honestly figured that's what would happen before I blew the motor but here we are. Rust is minimal because the car isn't driven in the winter except for emergencies.

Yeah, they're expensive but the FA20 isn't much cheaper, at least around here they're only 1-2k less for similar condition/mileage. The real cost benefit is that the FA20 is a drop in, while the FA24 needs some work, adapters and tuning. I am looking at doing an FA24 swap right now but this will depend on me being able to find the right engine for the right price. So far, either the motors already gone or isn't what it sounds like in the ad but I have very limited time to look during the day because of work. If I get an FA24, I'll drop the oil pan and clean out the oil pickup before I put it in the car.

I've driven a turbo FRS, and a GR86 with lowering springs and an aero package on track and yeah, they're both very different cars to mine. We all clearly spent our money in very different places and I can confidently say that my money was the best spent in my opinion. My car is just so stable and consistent, I can't imagine doing it different even if I move into a new chassis. Thankfully, all my parts (that I care about anyways) are compatible with the 2nd gen if I decide to do that. Seeing some compelling 2022-2023 BRZs for shockingly low prices.

Yes, I have space to keep it, but I really don't want to let it sit. Cost of living keeps rising and it's a depreciating asset so if I'm going to fix it, the cheapest time to fix it is now, and if I'm going to sell everything off, it's worth the most it will ever be worth right now as well.

It sounds to me like you've already justified the FA24 swap or a 2022+ car. If that's where you're heading, you absolutely won't be disappointed!!!
I very much agree that there's something comfortable about a dialed NA setup that's incredibly consistent. Trust is something you need when you're pushing the car near your limit.

[Lynxis]

I got a very reasonable quote on an FA24 that was pulled from a side swiped 2023 BRZ with only 3500kms so it's practically new. I've even got pictures of the motor and the car it was pulled from and it was only $800 more than a motor from a front-end accident with 40k kms so it felt silly to pass up. Only downside is that it doesn't come with exhaust headers, so I'm at my next dilemma; either I run my original FA20 headers and accept the power loss, try to find fa24 headers for cheap, or use this as an excuse to buy aftermarket and get the most out of the tuning the car is going to need anyways. Hmm.

[Lynxis]

FA24 is in my possession. For anyone curious, yes you CAN make the FA24 fit in the back of a 2019 Impreza hatchback but fair warning, it's very tight, only about an inch of clearance to the roof and this is without exhaust headers on the bottom. Also, one of the pully wheels is damaged due to how they stored it >=(.

[Lynxis]

Car is running with the FA24 with the original FA20 ECU, tune and headers, but has some gremlins. I'm hearing what sounds like rod knock at moderate throttle in low rpms in 2nd and 3rd gear, and there is some vibration when the car is off throttle. I'm hoping these can be tuned out. I bought the HKS EL catless header but I'm now hearing Ecutek cannot bypass the O2 CEL anymore which is making me second guess this decision. I've gotta make a call to a tuner and see what they say.

[ZC6_STi]

Originally Posted by Lynxis

Car is running with the FA24 with the original FA20 ECU, tune and headers, but has some gremlins. I'm hearing what sounds like rod knock at moderate throttle in low rpms in 2nd and 3rd gear, and there is some vibration when the car is off throttle. I'm hoping these can be tuned out. I bought the HKS EL catless header but I'm now hearing Ecutek cannot bypass the O2 CEL anymore which is making me second guess this decision. I've gotta make a call to a tuner and see what they say.

Yeah, there were changes to the EcuTek software several years ago where they cannot disable the o2 CEL if you're running catless. I had to retune my car after making some changes, and the CEL pops up here & there. You need to run a J-Style Defouler with a medium spacer to not trigger the CEL.

[Lynxis]

Originally Posted by ZC6_STi

Yeah, there were changes to the EcuTek software several years ago where they cannot disable the o2 CEL if you're running catless. I had to retune my car after making some changes, and the CEL pops up here & there. You need to run a J-Style Defouler with a medium spacer to not trigger the CEL.

Thanks for the very specific answer! I've ordered the defouler.