Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

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anarchy1024
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by anarchy1024 »

Not sure how relevant it is, but Mighty Car Mods has a series on stuffing a 3.6L H6 from a Tribeca into a (I think) 1995 Outback Wagon (and then turbocharging it):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... JvEJtCIdgl
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by 5050GRIP »

I am in the process of swapping over to an H6 with VDC, got the donor.
Will replace HG, VC seals, chain guides, all engine, trans and diff. mounts, and all fluids with genuine Scoobaru.
Was planning on doing a low boost setup on the 170k motor, I took a close look at the bottom end that was apart on engine stand, I was a bit put off by the walls and rods.
All aluminum walls are nitrite coated and rods were as thin as a Chihuahuas hind leg.
STi is in the middle, guess which one is the EZ30?
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by 3rdSOOBdeep »

guiguilandry wrote:Really you need the complete donor car..
there is a lot involved in the swap...
mechanically it's not too bad but you need to swap everything from the H6, but the real fun begin with the wiring...

there is a couple of differences, In my case I had to merge these..

Abs system : (I merged the 2 harness to keep my stock abs)
VDC : (remove from H6 harness/merge with abs)
VSS system : (I've put a 05+ canbus tranny without a VSS, Had to install a VSSPro)
Cluster signal : (VSS and RPM you need to keep the H6 cluster)
Cargo lamp circuit : (no cargo lamp on the outback wiring, see next line)
Backup lamp circuit : (wired the cargolamp with them, you need diodes)
L+R brake lamp circuit : (need to wire them with the 3rdbrake light)
Rear flasher : (wire them in the original backup lamp with diodes)
Shifter input : (if you go manual)
Clutch switch (2) : (if you go manual)

The extras :

Climate control system : (I had manual, now I have auto climate control)
Radio : (had a normal, now a McIntosh)
Heated seats : ( Didn't have before, now yes)
Heated Mirrors : ( Didn't have before, now yes)
Heated windshield : ( Didn't have before, now yes)

The down:
Constant p1596 CEL always on (no driveability issue, gonna work on this later)
My door lock remote doesn't work anymore because there is no integrated unit on the outback (I can put a aftermarket remote starter with doorlock)


BUT... It will be easy if you keep the auto tranny...

I too am space limited, I have a great deal on a JDM EZ30 and auto trans. But I've heard you need the entire wiring harness system from front to back. would a parts list that's needed off the donor car be hard draw up?
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by 3rdSOOBdeep »

guiguilandry wrote:you need the complete 2000 to 2002 outback (it's the same frame as the baja, everything is bolt-on into the baja)
you strip them both totally...
I mean no more dash, no more front wiring harness, no more fusebox, no more radiator, no more a/c hoses, no more P/s hose, no more throttle and ac cable, no more seats, no more carpet... etc etc etc...

then you take EVERYTHING from the outback to the baja,

you reassemble the outback setup in the baja then you can do 90% the wire merging inside the car

the older eg33 will require wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more work to fit than the ez30d
the newer ez30r will be pretty much the same but with electronic throttle body and has variable intake geometry

you could also do a ''normal wire merge with only the engine harness, but I wanted to add all the luxury of that outback to my baja...

if you can send me both complete wiring harness I can do a basic wire merge for you $$$

I will take you up on that offer, name the price. On the understanding that from what I just read, I don't neccesarily have to strip everything just to do a "normal" wire merge? All I want is the engine and trans. Not to concerned about the luxuries swapping over.
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by Acro2pilot »

5050GRIP wrote:I am in the process of swapping over to an H6 with VDC, got the donor.
Will replace HG, VC seals, chain guides, all engine, trans and diff. mounts, and all fluids with genuine Scoobaru.
Was planning on doing a low boost setup on the 170k motor, I took a close look at the bottom end that was apart on engine stand, I was a bit put off by the walls and rods.
All aluminum walls are nitrite coated and rods were as thin as a Chihuahuas hind leg.
STi is in the middle, guess which one is the EZ30?
Image
I would totally agree with that assessment, it would be safe on low boost but not allot. I don't think there is an automotive 4 stroke engine out there that can't take a 5psi bump with proper tuning. Proper tuning is the key. It was either Smokey Yunick or Corky Bell that said in their respective book that it was seldom increased output that caused engine failure, it is poor tuning. On my other Baja I was intending to go H6 and use a TVS or an MP62 at 5psi with 7psi as my greed target. But also some engines will surprise you. The Toyota 2zz engine used in the Elise was decreed to be a glass engine with pistons and rods that would immediately fail under boost and yet many of us cranked them up with no problem, Lotus even released a mild boost SC kit under warranty after seeing how well the high boost folks were doing.
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by 5050GRIP »

So I did the swap, it was a bit of night mare as it was just me in a friends backyard. Took a week off work to do the swap. Now I have major issue;
MAJOR OIL LEAK, I did a partial rebuild on my 2001 ez30d motor, it seems to be coming from just between the head block and the chain cover, its leaking and mixing with anti freeze into a brown color thats pouring out.
I changed the head gaskets with Felpro MLS, followed all the proper torque seq, with new head bolts, changed water pump with OEM and all oem bolts and gaskets, changed all the chain cover O rings, chain guides, re-seated the valves, new valve seals cleaned the valves as well and resurfaced the heads with block sanding down to 1500 grit, head was not warped.

Its driving me nuts, I took the entire chain cover off and sealed it over again, over torqued the head bolts out of desperation but IT STILL LEAKS at the top of the head near the driver side chain guide adjuster, between the chain guide cover and block. I am at wits ends, some one PLEASE HELP?
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by 5050GRIP »

I put 50 miles on the car so far with 15 being NYC traffic. Vacuum leak made drivability terrible, 4 dash lights on, fixed leak, engine light off 3 more lights to to go.
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by Cooper Stuart »

Is this forum dead or what?? I need help!

Just picked up my h6 (2001 outback with 160k) today and wanna swap it in my 06 5mt and keep my trans.

I saw on here that you can do a basic harness merge for just the motor? How do you do this or who can I pay to do this?

Thanks!
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by Cooper Stuart »

5050GRIP wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:00 am I put 50 miles on the car so far with 15 being NYC traffic. Vacuum leak made drivability terrible, 4 dash lights on, fixed leak, engine light off 3 more lights to to go.
Hey how did you get your swapped Baja to pass inspection in NY?
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by Guacamole »

Cooper Stuart wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 4:00 pm Is this forum dead or what?? I need help!

Just picked up my h6 (2001 outback with 160k) today and wanna swap it in my 06 5mt and keep my trans.

I saw on here that you can do a basic harness merge for just the motor? How do you do this or who can I pay to do this?

Thanks!
Hey there! Forum's not dead, an H6 swap into a Baja just isn't something that's been thoroughly documented here, so most of us have little to no knowledge on this subject. There's 2 threads about this on Nasioc... but unfortunately not much info:
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showth ... ?t=2253559
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showth ... ?t=2172812
I hope you have money and patience, because this is not something easy or cheap to do.
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by Cooper Stuart »

Guacamole wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 5:07 pm
Cooper Stuart wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 4:00 pm Is this forum dead or what?? I need help!

Just picked up my h6 (2001 outback with 160k) today and wanna swap it in my 06 5mt and keep my trans.

I saw on here that you can do a basic harness merge for just the motor? How do you do this or who can I pay to do this?

Thanks!
Hey there! Forum's not dead, an H6 swap into a Baja just isn't something that's been thoroughly documented here, so most of us have little to no knowledge on this subject. There's 2 threads about this on Nasioc... but unfortunately not much info:
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showth ... ?t=2253559
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showth ... ?t=2172812
I hope you have money and patience, because this is not something easy or cheap to do.
Dang, I have the patience and means to do it. Thank for the help though!
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by Cooper Stuart »

guiguilandry wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:28 am Not that bad, I just did it in my 03 5 speed, but you need a complete donor car... because you needs a lots of stuff from the h6 legacy !!

But I'M a mechanic and I'm specialized in electricity and engine swaps...
so, not that bad for me is most of the time a shitload of problem for someone not mechanically inclined...

if you're patient, you can do it and I can tell you what to do with the wiring !!

Please send diagrams so I can do this, thanks!
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by 5050GRIP »

Not much was going on on Scooby, reason for me not visiting site, however my Baja H6 VDC has been going great, I put about 80k or more on it. Driven to many states and daily driver it as well, loving it. I will try and document most of what I did to the car, hmmrrm, I mean Truck. I have done many mods to electrics, aesthetics and mechanical as well. I will be sending it to the body shop to get it painted and rust on panels and chassis repaired as well (damn North East weathering), plan on keeping her for a while.

If anyone wants to know if it was worth the swap, IMHO yes!
Especially knowing I single handed all the work, except tires and wheel alignment, I tried and failed at that part, lol.
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by walfredo »

Thanks for the follow-up to this.

I was always wanting to do this, but am turned off from the VDC/transmission thing, ABS and all the other wiring that goes into it. I also wasn't sure that if the entire interior harness needed to be swapped too (I have an 03 N/A manual). Ive heard mixed things about whether you truly need the entire interior harness for the 03 bajas (cable throttle) so I kind of stayed away and have been thinking of just rebuilding a spare EJ251 I have sitting around instead of the H6 swap.

Any thoughts on what it would take for a 03 N/A with a manual transmission? Still need the full engine and interior harness (and donor car), or is it much simpler for the 03's? What about the VDC/ABS/transmission module wiring?

Im still on the fence but I am the type of person who needs to know exactly what to do in advance before attempting something like this.
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Re: Stuffing a Legacy H6 in a 03 Baja, how hard can it be?

Post by 5050GRIP »

You need a donor vehicle, ENTIRE vehicle.
I started with a 5spd, that was the main reason behind going to auto. Yes the entire dash harness is needed, plus back half harness as well, it will need to be spliced into stock harness. Part of the air bag system will need to be removed from wiring loom, unless you want to install new air airbag ECM, seats, seats belts, and B pillar sensors. Also the braking system has to be swapped in its entirety to make use of the VDC system.

The additions to my baja has transformed it to a very comfy and more usable daily driver that is less tiring on long drives.
When I get some free time from my other hobbies, I will post up pics and document how I got mine done.
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