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So, an autopsy confirmed my fears, valves are sticking intermittently. More followers fell out simply cranking by hand, valves are definitely stuck open today. Guides look really bad. Doesn't look like corrosion, more like deposits from the bad fuel. Deposits have the consistency of partly cured JB weld, and stink. So.... Lesson learned. No matter how well an engine was stored, a decade is too long to sit. Could have gone thru the fuel system and probably saved a lot of headaches. Learn from my mistakes.... Spent my lunch break tearing it down with high hopes too. Lol Good news is that I have plenty of experience working on engines, have a machine shop at my disposal, and found a REALLY good parts guy for vintage subies (Viva la socal). So, all is not lost, only postponed.

As long as they're not corroded, they're good to go. Threads will pull out of the block before the bolts will stretch.

GD is right. It can be done, but it's not simple. There is no "kit". It will require a lot of custom parts, and a lot of work (yes, I've done it).

has it been recharged in the past? 14 year-old car could EASILY be low on refrigerant.

If the threads are good reuse them. Test them by spinning a nut on them to ensure smooth thread engagement. If reused so many times that it’s an issue, that raises a lot of questions about the integrity of the engine, history or maintenance.

Sounds like you need to monitor the AFR sensor output while watching fuel trims. Being intermittent and the sensor being new I would say you probably either have a wiring issue (perhaps with that main harness plug) or an ECM problem. It's going to take driving and monitoring and till the problem shows up and you need someone watching live data that can interpret it correctly and potentially do some circuit probing and oscilloscope work to narrow the culprit. GD

Yes. And they are Subaru only. You would be best served with new ones. I doubt you will find cheaper than online dealers. That's the cost of proper maintenance. GD

Not getting to the yards to often, but I'll keep an eye open. The Kitchen remodel and new job have been keeping me busy. Later, Larry

It was the main propeller shaft. I put in a used one I had bought a while back from a junkyard and the vibration disappeared. Originally I bought the new driveshaft because the junkyard one was rusted and pitted at the transmission end and wore out the seal. So that part outfit sent me 2 bad propeller shafts, the original one was bad and so was the replacement.

Just had to share the ridiculousness of the day. Making a cardboard mock up of the control arm mods to visualize where/how to cut/weld/extend the XT6 arms. Didn't intend to make anything so funny or dirty, but once it happened, my wife and I could not stop laughing for the rest of the night. I spit out beer twice laughing so hard. IMG_3854 by Dans Subaru, on Flickr You're welcome.

I heard today Nick passed in peace and quickly the first week of July. You could not find a nicer fellow. Always happy to help and a true friend. Nick you will be missed but not forgotten.