[Xolude]

I've got a MY98 RS Coupe and a 2003 WRX with a good ECU, harness, and transmission. Finding a motor's been the very hard part, as in my area (NW Montana), I've had little to no luck within a reasonable radius finding an engine. I've considered going the JDM route, although all of the different things I'd have to swap over is scaring me off from that route. Planning on sending the harnesses off to iWire, but I'm wondering what I should do concerning the engine! Any help is super appreciated! Also, lemme know if this is the wrong forum to ask in

 

[FXTrev]

eBay, facebook, or an import shop can you get a motor. Since you already have everything from an 03 WRX, I'd stick with an EJ205

 

[SoCoNoHa]

Well that's tough. It comes down to budget and end goals. I like the road less traveled and don't have a specific goal except faster and cooler, so I'd go with a 2.2 bottom end and WRX heads. The heads/manifold will plug into the harness and apparently the extra .2 litters is noticeable helpful in spooling the turbo.
Obviously, finding an ej205 to drop right in would be the easiest, but as you've found out they can be hard to find. I believe you can drop in a 255 or 257 with little to no modification, but don't quote me on that, it warrants some research.

 

[mike-tracy]

You're better off getting a complete american ej205 engine. By better off I mean you'll save money and have the car on the road sooner.

Check with the online junkyards such as car-part.com or autowrecking.com or others because they can ship an engine and drop it off at your mechanics or your house.

Even better would be buying a wrecked WRX and having everything there at your house while you perform the swap.

Getting a swap done piecemeal can (will) take longer as you are always ordering parts you never knew you needed. I've only bought bare blocks or shortblocks for my car projects due to the cheaper initial price. It takes 6+months to finish them, and way more money than anticipated. One of these days I'll follow my own advice and buy a wrecked car.

 

[FreshTapCoke]

I rolled the dice and bought a complete long block with all accessories on Craigslist. There was nothing local (Southern California) so I had it shipped down from up north.

 

[Combat Chuck]

+eleventy billion on the wrecked USDM 02-05 WRX. I grabbed one off Copart a while ago and used my EJ22 bottom end with everything else and while rebuilding the heads, still about broke even after selling the excess WRX stuff. Not to say that'll go the same way for you, but it's nice having everything you need up front.