The Beast I Drive

Actually Im bringing Dereck with me, he is more into the offroad stuff than trevor. His uncles and whatnot all wheel Jeeps and stuff... Back on topic (kinda) I guess I was kinda implying that the EA81 is my favorite Subaru motor because of its reliability and durability... The EA82 is a good motor too, but not even in the same league as the EA81. I killed the first EA82 in the Beast by running it for a week with no oil, and the oil pump siezed... Yeah. Other than the timing belts and a few other weak points, the EA82 is a decent motor... The EA82T on the other hand I no longer have any respect for. I took pretty good care of mine and it left me high and dry and burnt my car to the ground to boot. But just to hammer home the main point of my first post, from my experience, the EA81, while not the most powerfull, is quite possibly Subaru's most fool-proof and reliable design, and you have to severely mistreat it for it to really let you down -Bill

Actually I read a thread somewhere (may have been another forum) where a guy did weld the new pinion gear to the EA shaft. It was all done properly, annealed (softened) before it was cut, then welded, machined, and re-tempered. If its all done right it would be like it was made that way... Of course if you don't do it right, its a recipe for disaster -Bill

you guys and your fancy winches... Come-along and a Hi-lift FTW... who am I kidding I wish I had a winch! -Bill

GD, I love the bumper on that wagon, I think Ive only ever seen 1 picture of it, but its pretty sweet! Im not gonna EJ this one just yet, I have a JDM EA81 that Im dropping in, it had a little more power than the stock USDM motors. Also, I need to fix the rear wheel bearings (shot) and replace 3 axles (possibly 4) and redo the entire exhaust, with a crossover pipe. Last time I took it out wheelin I did it at night out on the ranch, and I missed the road and crash landed in a rock pile (not small rocks either) and really tore some stuff up. This motor was probably one of the more abused ones I had in it, the first EA82 gave up the ghost on prom day (go figure ) and I concluded it was because I didnt keep up on the maintainence (siezed TB idler) and ran it out of oil multiple times. Second EA82 ran fine, ran great when I pulled it to trade for the first EA81, which blew the headgaskets pretty severely on my way home from last year's WCSS after the fans quit working in the 105 degree heat, going uphill, with a 50mph headwind, and no oil . This motor was abused even before I got it, it came out of a hatch that looked like it saw more air time than Tony Hawk. This next motor should hold up for a good long while. Next motor that Im thinkin bout doin in it though is an H6, either a 3.0, 3.3, or 3.6, depending on what I can find for the right price And it will have a six-pack induction setup But thats all just dreams right now... I just want to get it running good for Evans, has to be able to carry me and my big friend over the mountains and back, and get wheeled like there's no tomorrow! -Bill

PM me, I got a few orders ahead of you, but I think you will like my prices when you compare to whats available... -Bill

Ok, so I was workin on the Beast a little tonight, just to get it running so I can drive it up to the shop to swap out the engine, and otherwise prep it for Evan's Creek... The car is my 87 GL wagon that I swapped an EA81 into a while back. This is the 4th motor in the car, going on 5th when I replace it. I parked it because it started slinging oil all over the engine bay and I could watch the crank move 1/4" in any direction while I was playing around under the hood one day... Anyway, I let it sit for a while, then when I got my new Brat, I pulled the disty off the Beast (it was an EA71 disty that I built to work in the Beast) Stupid me, forgot to note where the rotor was pointing Even better, I cant just set it to TDC using the timing marks, as I am running the EA82 flywheel and I didnt transfer the timing marks While I was putting in another disty, I noticed the front main bearing was laying under the cam drive gear ! Well I decided the motor is toast anyway, so Im gonna run it. I get a disty in and guess where TDC might be, and I try to start it. It acts like its siezed . Well I check it out, and I can turn it with enough force on my breaker bar, so I grab my Black Brat and jumpstart the Beast. Now it cranks over fine, but wont start... 3 distys later I find a good one. I hook up my remote starter button so I can adjust the timing till it runs and it fires up! Man I missed that sound. ... But a new anomolly. The radiator was empty. I didnt think much of it, but after I shut the car off, went in the house for a drink, and came back out, I noticed my rear tires were wet... And dripping green Apparently, the motor wouldnt turn over the first time because it was hydrolocked with coolant Both sides of the engine were filled with antifreeze, I know this because I have separated dual exhaust, so I can see whats going on in each side of the engine.... Im still wondering why the coolant leaked into the cylinders, it only sat for a couple months, but there are so many things wrong with the motor anyways, it could be a number of things.... And yet, despite having no oil, no coolant, shot main bearings, torn up main seals, and being drenched in oil, it still runs like a champ!!!!! I cant wait to open up this motor and see just how bad the damage really is! Seems like the EA81 will press on through anything short of a thrown rod, and Ive seen rigs running and driving with a rod sticking out of the block..... So even that might not stop the little monsters! Conclusion, though they may not make much for HP, the EA81 has got to be the most mechanically sound, simple, rugged, durable, reliable, get-you-where-you're-going-bar-nothing motor Subaru, or any car company, ever made! Gotta love it.... -Bill

I have a couple vids of the Beast offroad one night, and in the snow one day I don't have anything from my Black Brat yet, I dont have a digital camera, all the footage was taken by my buddy -Bill

Drop an EA81 block in there... you will be much happier and its a bolt-in swap -Bill

looks like all you need now is one of my lifts -Bill

I have dual exhaust on both my brats and the Beast, and I had dual exhaust on my RX too... I made an x pipe for my 1600 brat and it made a world of difference, but I think ill switch it to a crossover pipe for the sound Im looking for. The beast and my black Brat both have full dual exhaust and sound really mean, but I did lose some power by not putting in some kind of crossover. Oh and my Black Brat has stainless stacks.... -Bill

i didnt know they dont make the rear axles... So far Ive had good luck with my EMPI front axles in my brat... Only comlpaint is the boot rubs just slightly on the steering shaft from the rack... But not enough to burn through. I get mine from Triangle Autoparts in Yakima, so Im sure any place in Spokane that sells VW parts can get you EMPI axles for your Subaru Brian... Triangle deals all the imports, European and Japanese, and has lots of VW speed parts in stock... -Bill

Trust me, they aren't that cool. N/A FTW. And no Rob, your's doesnt count cuz its an exception... -Bill

eh, they had some bondo in them too... I guess we could check it out, but fire warps the thin sheetmetal on the outside of them, I wouldnt use them, for some reason it just seems wrong... just dont feel right -Bill

Burnt, just like the rest of the car . I wouldnt try to use any structural parts from that car. Not from above the ground anyway... Ive got some more Ideas to think over when you get down here as well... -Bill

Bumper isnt quite done yet fellas, still gotta fab up the bull bars and hoop for the lights I hope you left some excess metal for me to work with Robbie, it will make it a lot easier... Prolly gonna have to wait till Monday to start my part of the work on it though, I have to clean the shop out (again) and get Justin's wagon in there for the lift... -Bill

Speak for youself Jeff, its hard core sunshine all year long over here on my side Also, this -Bill

I was pretty conservative with the Beast in rwd, but when I blew up both front axles in my black Brat, I cut the CV off with the torch at work, pulled the DOJs out and proceeded to drive sideways everywhere I went for a week It was too much fun to be able to swing the rear out with just the slightest blip of the throttle, especially around the curve to my parking spot On a side note, wheeling out of the bottom of a rock-filled canyon in rwd in the dark at 2 am is a challenge... Especially with an open diff... -Bill

Pull the bad front axle, break the CV cup off the end and stick it back into the hub and drive it in RWD to get home. You'll destroy stuff if you dont... I drove the Beast like that for 3 months... its fun to drive a RWD Subaru... -Bill

they do only go one way, the angle of the cut on the blocks must be parrallel to the angle where the strut bolts to the strut tower. Otherwise you will play hell trying to get the struts on, only to find your camber 30 degrees or so out of whack so pretty much they only fit one way... Sounds like you got it right if you got 'em in -Bill

LMAO -Bill

You know Andy, Boldly going where no Subaru has gone before I saw the Brown Beast at WCSS 10, diggin the header, but i would spring for a skid plate. Not too hard to make one, just cut/bend some plate, weld some tabs, and bolt it on.... Now lets see that rig in the mud eh??? -Bill

Oh, it is definitely faster than a stock RX... By far Nice numbers Rob! Bump up the FP man.... -Bill

With the amount of these engines that I have found available, I would scrap the block, use the scrap money on a six pack, and start lookin for another. I have at least 1 good block here, I have 4 of those motors on a pallet and 2 that run, and another that ran before I pulled all the stuff I wanted off it... So I have like 7 of them.... I dont know how common they are in your parts though, but if they are as common as up here, yeah toss the bad block for a good one. The bores have steel sleeves in them though, so it *should* be ok if you can find a machine shop to punch out the sleeves, weld it up, and re-install the sleeves. A lot of places wont do that anymore :-\ It sounds like your engine was severely overheated at one point or another, or driven like it was stolen multiple times for prolonged periods... or both, one resulting in the other -Bill

If you have patience and some mechanical skill an old Subaru is a great car to have as a daily driver. They are about the simplest car to work on once you do a little cleaning up/mild modification, and if I have parts handy I can usually fix or replace any part of my rigs within a day. If you can find one with lower miles that hasnt been abused all its life you'll be better off. I beat the crap outa my cars, i have 2 brats on the road right now, an '80 and an 85. The 85 has had a less than desirable past, with almost 300,000 on the drivetrain though its running great and the trans is still shifting good (which is unusual as the 4 speeds usually lose 3rd and reverse). The body is toast, and its been saved from a junkyard before i got it. Ive had to replace a few things, but for 350 bucks its one of the best rigs I ever bought. If you have emissions regulations you might not want a neglected old Subaru for daily street legal driving, they can be a real bear to get them back up to snuff for the smog checks. If you are lucky like everyone on the east side of washington, you can swap on a Weber and eliminate 98% of the vacuum lines under the hood and all the emissions crap. That makes changing out the entire manifold possible within a half hour. Brats are getting way too high in price IMO, so just look around and try to find a deal. Look out for rust, once it starts it can ravage the whole rig a lot faster than you can imagine... Oil leaks are typical, and you can usually find a good deal if you find a nice body with a blown headgasket, broken axle, or bad tranny, etc... Easy things to fix, hell you could do all 3 of those in a day if you have ambition... Plus, Subarus are way cooler than Hondas. Period. -Bill