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The frame rail is a rectangular tube of unibody that runs from front to back. Shown roughly mid picture. There are two. Runs parallel to the pinch weld. I have used both with jackstands. Always give the car a good shake before crawling under. Just my ritual. For rust belt cars I place a block of dense hardwood under the frame rail to spread out the load.

For all of those out there contemplating an EJ conversion, this is one of the reasons why buying a donor vehicle can be easier - especially for the first timer. But with that said, this is how I've gone about it twice now - building a conversion from parts of several cars - why? Mainly because I've been given parts from some good mates which only require me to get the main bits like the engine and some supporting pieces that are needed for all conversions. Space constraints of renting can be prohibitive to having a donor vehicle on the property too. So this is how I "bench" test my engine and cutdown loom (plus it's good fun). Loom was cut down last week and the test done this weekend gone. Everything wiring wise checks out. Engine wise I have a code 35 (purge control solenoid valve) and no knocking on start up Now it'll get some preventative maintenance such as head gaskets while it remains out of the vehicle. https://youtu.be/vBXrmIzWiZY I reckon @sparkyboy will wet his pants at this and I kind of hope a few more of you will too (and be inspired to do your own conversions!). I've since fitted a radiator and run it for a longer period of time. I'm hoping to do this again later in the week, not that I have to, but I would like to see the light for the fan trigger to come on... This will end up in my Brumby once both engine and vehicle are ready. Cheers Bennie

It's completely possible to piece together without a donor car. And if you know your way around the cars, it can be an excellent way to do it. I have several times. BUT, I will still say that generally-speaking the best way (cheapest, lowest risk of failure, most complete) is a donor car. I'm in the middle of a Lexus 1UZ 4.0l DOHC V8 swap for my 4Runner. I bought the engine out of a car, and could not hear it run. So I bench ran it before I bought almost any other parts for it. Those ECUs are notorious for having failing capacitors, so I replaced those, and bench ran it again to make sure it still worked. Then I coated an exhaust manifold and ran it again. All together, it's probably run about an hour on the stand. Skip the first 10 minutes to hear it run.

I'd just rather stay totally legal and not have to worry about what-if. Better for insurance rates and credit rating if there are no blips on the record.

Man, what a bummer--especially after all the work you put into it. Good luck with the fix..

Now this is what I'm talking about. Thanks Sparkyboy!!! This fixed the problem

Flying under the radar is certainly a factor. A lot of people just drive them anyway but I think it’s rare to do so with an actual daily driver which is what mine is I don’t care about police, but liability. If there’s a wreck with 6 or 7 figure lawsuits and lawyers involved I don’t want the legality of the car to be in question no matter who’s at fault. That happened to a close friend and someone who I think is member of this forum and known by quite a few members. A hundred dollars or a night in jail is no big deal compared to that. Granted this is all uncertain - I don’t know what would happen or if insurance would actually deny. But insurance policies often include language which requires compliance with the law. And with 6+ figures on the table it’s just not worth my time. Maybe I’ll google it one day this week and see if there’s any info out there.

Well luckily I read that part first.

You just saved me so much time and headache. I swore my clutch was slipping. Turns out it was just the rear axle. I still dont understand how that would feel like a slipping clutch but sure enough! that fixed it! thank you!

Alright. Got the Impreza calipers with brackets. $160 for both including the core charges I had to pay. Got the 242mm rotors Got the Pads to fit the IMP brackets Got the 23 spline Imp axles Got the Xt6 control arms goin to try a mock up this afternoon. Hopefully with Pics.

Burnt exhaust valve. You should have addressed the head gasket leak 50k miles ago and done the valve adjustment at the same time. Now you need to replace one or more exhaust valves. GD

for plug wires - OE or NGK only. parts store aftermarket wires are known to cause problems

Daaaang, just jumped back to the first post... You've been wrenching on this thing for almost nine years Earl! Time to finish this beast!

Second Part: Things you Should Know, before attempting to Lift your Subie: As I stated above in the First Part, I used lift blocks on the Struts and also on the Engine's crossmember of my Subie, to level it up the front, because the rear got a 2" lift with the Toyota shock absorbers + Honda coil springs. You must be Aware that there are some things that changes and / or might require certain amount of Modifications to work Properly, once you get your third gen Subaru Leone (EA82) Lifted, and those are usually untold on the Forums; the majority of things that needs to be modified, are in the FRONT of the Subie, so here I'll address that Area. For a Mixed style usage, like I do on my "BumbleBeast" being my Daily Driver on week days (60%) and Weekend Offroader Warrior (40%) the best lift is the one achieved by Lifting the Body two inches, and increasing the overall diameter of the Wheels another two inches; so it gains a total of 4" lift, but usually such lift is known as the 2" Lift. Going Beyond a 2" body lift means to loose stability and the Rear tires will get abnormally closer to the Body in front of them, also the front tires will get closer to the body in the rear of them, which usually requires modifying the body structure, and I don't like that idea, unless you'll not use the Subaru as Daily Driver anymore, only as offroader. Lifting two inches the Body, requires 2" strut top blocks, but despite that many USMB members doesn't drop the engine's Crossmember, in order to gain more Ground Clearance, to Drop it is Really Needed, unless you don't care of running your Subie with an increased amount of stress angle on the Axles, Steering & suspension parts, which usually means to wear axles ~ 10X faster, and having steering issues, alignment issues, and driveability issues. I strongly suggest to Drop the Engine's Crossmember 1½" if you're using 2" strut top Blocks, so you will remove the added Stress from the Suspension and Steering parts, while keeping the axles in a much closer angle to the Factory specs; this will keep the overall Geometry closer to stock specs; so you'll loose Ground Clearance, but You'll gain to maintain the Reliability and Maneuverability that the car had, prior to the Lift. Also, you'll need to drop the Rear Differential, to keep the Rear axles in a closer to Stock angle. What is Untold, is that if you Drop the Engine's Crossmember, five things will Happen: 1) In those EA82's with cooling fans driven by the Waterpump pulley, you must remove the surrounding Frame for the Fan, which is attached to the Radiator; otherwise the Fan's blades will hit it, damaging the Fan and Waterpump. 2) You must lengthen the Steering Shaft, I solved that problem by using one that is already lengthened from Factory, it came from a 1992 Legacy and was two inches longer than the EA82 one, but having same spline count and measurements. 3) The Shifter's Linkage will also be working on a stressed angle, and since it is attached to the Body with a piece of metal that has a Vibration's dampening Rubber cube, usually that rubber cube breaks... ...and the Shifter Drops... I solved that, by Welding a Metal Cube instead: 4) The whole drivetrain goes Backwards and inch (also that stressed the Rubber cube), so, the Shifter gets one inch to the Back, and even the Muffler's tip will get one inch farther from the rear Bumper. Here you can see how it moved an inch, this plate is not Centered anymore: It is Solved by Modifying the above pictured plate, like this: and also by Bending this part that I showed above, from each side, see: But then, the Cover for the Center console, where the squared (outer) Rubber boot goes covering the shifting stick, up to the shifter knob, will feel like is not centered anymore, but still will work; however I modified such center console's cover: but it is Not really necessary. 5) The jack to lift the vehicle will no longer serve anymore, barely lifting the tire from the paved roads due to the body lift, and even worse in some terrains, such like those unpaved roads where you go offroading; the original Jack can't free the tires, not even at the its maximum stretching; so you will need to carry a wooden block to sit the Jack, which is Dangerous, or Weld to the Jack a metal spacer on its base; or even better: get another, higher Jack. That last thing is what I did: I got a Jack out from a Nissan Frontier, which works perfectly in the Subie and fits in the compartment for the jack in the trunk of my Subaru, This one: After all these Modifications are done, the Lifted car really Feels Natural, and Awesome. Please check the two following web links to two different Discussion Threads regarding these suspension modifications; they has Further information, more Detailed photos and explanations, also feel free to ask Questions on those Discussion threads: Rear Modifications Here: ~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/130950-suspension-improvements-for-subaru-loyale/ Front Modifications, Here: ~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/113907-lookin-for-a-front-lil-lift/page-2 If you find this information useful, don't forget to let me know by hitting the "Like" Button I Hope this Ideas could be Helpful. Kind Regards.