17/07/2026
Minesh’s stunning JDM Hawkeye leaves us this week and heads back down to Kent after some tender loving care here at MB Developments.
This stunning JDM STI Hawkeye came in for a turbo upgrade, a major service and a remap to suit.
With a Tim Cox 470HP turbo sourced from another good friend, the plan was to fit ID1050X injectors and the turbo upgrade, aiming for around 400HP. While the car was here, it also received a full major service including a cambelt, water pump, spark plugs and all fluids for good measure.
Once the car arrived, as always we assessed everything thoroughly and unfortunately found some terrible workmanship and bodges on the original headers. We’ve never seen so much exhaust paste used on one of these cars, along with attempts to weld up the headers. It was quickly established that a good used set of twin-scroll headers we had on the shelf would be drafted in.
But the fun didn’t stop there…
A failed dog bone mount - Leaking rocker covers and a leaking rear main seal meant it was decided between ourselves and Minesh that the engine would be best removed so all the jobs could be completed properly on the engine stand.
Once removed, we were able to give the engine bay a good clean and remove years of dirt and oil before the refreshed engine went back into place.
Sadly, more bad news followed. The right-hand exhaust cam pulley had been damaged enough to cause concern, so a good used replacement was fitted and the opposite side was checked carefully for cracks before a new RCM timing kit and water pump were installed.
New genuine rocker cover gaskets and a genuine rear main seal were then fitted after everything was thoroughly cleaned, before the not-so-old clutch and flywheel package went back in.
Once all the old exhaust paste had been cleaned away and all the mating surfaces properly prepared, the replacement twin-scroll headers were fitted with genuine Subaru gaskets, before the Tim Cox turbo took pride of place.
Next up were the ID1050X injectors, followed by a fresh set of PFR7B spark plugs, correctly gapped and fitted.
With the engine back in the car and a base map loaded, it received fresh engine oil and filter, gearbox oil, diff oil, brake fluid, clutch fluid, fuel filter and pollen filter. It fired into life and immediately sounded much happier.
After a quick fuel pump check, the car headed onto the rollers for its custom tune using Carberry ROM software, allowing dual maps and anti-lag features. Despite the dyno room peaking at nearly 46°C, we managed to break the 400HP mark. With a few planned upgrades in the future, there’s plenty more to come, but for now Minesh was more than happy.
Taking Minesh out for a drive and showing him how the car now performs, I could already tell he was going to really enjoy it.
We’ve since been told the long drive back down south was an absolute joy, and apparently it was really good on fuel too… 👀
This car has definitely been a bit of a love-hate project, but we’re so pleased with how it turned out. Doing jobs properly for great customers with stunning cars like this is exactly what we enjoy most.
Thanks again, Minesh. Enjoy it, mate! 👊💙
