The Beast I Drive

Yeah but you dont exactly (ah-hem) off road your rig -Bill

They are the same, Ive used passenger sides on drivers sides and vise versa, also used both sides for tailgate handles on gen 1 Brats as well... Gen 1 stage 2 and Gen 2 handles are the same dimensions and design, the only difference is the Gen 1 handles are smooth and the Gen 2 ones have that groove in them, but they are interchangeable. -Bill

I have the tranny mounts, PM me -Bill

Driver side and passenger side handles are the same. All you have to do is swap the plastic clip that holds the rod to the other side. The metal castings themselves are the same. -Bill

What a difference 2" of lift and some bigger tires makes huh! Looks great man! And no, I dont have any new pics of the Beast yet, it needs an engine, some exhaust work, rear wheel bearings, and 3 axles before It will be back in action... Hopefully soon though. -Bill

Quite possibly the coolest Subaru wagon design Ive seen yet Id love to have one of those! -Bill

I have found that even a flare wrenches start to open up on these little bastards, I used a big, big cresent wrench on the last ones I did, but it was out of the car when I did it. Once they start to come loose though they come out pretty easy. Pipe wrench would prolly work, but make sure you can still get them back in, seeing as how you are in California where you actually need that stuff... Damn thats gotta suck :-\ -Bill

Well, if you insist... I just couldnt resist Awaiting pics of your rig! -Bill

Black with the red rim FTW! -Bill

Yeah, those pipes suck. Soak them with PB blaster or some kind of penetrating oil, and you might have to use a little heat to get them to come loose. They are for the EGR system, I typically take them off, remove the pipes from the threaded parts, weld them up solid, then put them back. No more pipes that way, cleans up the engine bay a lot. There is also one on the back of the passenger side head that has to be undone to remove the manifold... -Bill

I was gonna try out the armor plate/ Flying Tigers paint scheme back when I got that turbowagon, I figured it had the perfect base coat being silver to make it quick and easy... Never got around to it, decided the car was better suited to be a parts car... Leaving yet another awesome paint scheme available to another Sube owner... Shouldnt be hard, can make it look pretty good with a little masking tape, a round hole stencil, and some shadow effects I always kinda liked the early Luftewaffe camo on Hitler's planes, same traditional colors, but with the sharp jagged edges like the Swiss snow camo. And typically with a bright yellow nosecone or hypnotic dealio painted on the prop -Bill

Wait, I know the only possible solution... You must sell it to me Jk, but seriously, I think you're on the right track, try the ATF. I run 15w40 oil in my cars, but thats because I get it for free at work... My mom's car had the TOD a little while back, a little seafoam and some high-rev pulls and it was back to normal... -Bill

IIRC, that guy is a member here, and he lives (lived?) in Yakima. Dont recall his boardname, but i remember a post with pictures of the car and trailer you described. -Bill

Check it -Bill

Ive seen Ed's car, and he has a stock EA81 with stock EA81 manifold on it, with a Maxima alternator and a home rigged power steering bracket. It all works quite nicely, he did mention having to grind/file down a little off the ear of the alt to clear the air cleaner... I myself am partial to the GM alt swap, I have a parts guy that gets em to me for less than cost, and it took about 15 minutes to mount it, using one of those chrome adjuster bars for a small block chevy that I offset just a bit. With the GM swap any autoparts store will have one in stock, they were the same unit from the 60's all the way to the late 80's. The Maxima swap is the perfect, bolt-in, minimal modification needed swap for the DIY'er, or the novice car-tinkerer lookin to upgrade his charging system. -Bill

ATM I dont really have access to anything newer than my cousin's 91 legacy for cool accessories... I have an upsidedown Outback that Im going to use to make lift kits, Ill see if I can find an Impreza hulk in a JY cheap and go from there -Bill

what kinda style you looking for? I have a design in mind that has kind of a rear tailgate on it if you will, making easier access, as well as built in light mounts and guards so they dont get busted off on a tree. -Bill

I can also do custom stuff. Here is a project of mine, Ive reinforced the front end with 3/16" diamond plate and 3/16" angle iron. This is a work in progress, its a 4" lifted wagon with a lot of custom stuff, but what I am sayin s if you can dream it, I can probably build it for your rig Also, if you would like to let me use your rig for a testbed for a new part or custom work, I can make great deals -Bill

One of my innovations... This kit allows the use of an EA82 power steering pump on an EA81 engine. Perfect if you have swapped an EA81 into your 3rd gen offroad car and want your power steering back, or if you have everything you need to put power steering in your Gen 2 except the pump. Its designed to work perfectly with Weber carb conversions and SPFI swaps. Comes with everything seen here installed on a motor Price is $60 plus shipping, but Ill waive shipping if you send me back your non-AC EA81 alternator bracket and the little round spacer that goes with it. -Bill

Hey ya'll, guess its about time I post this up in here. If you are looking for something custom, beefy, durable, and/or stylish for your Subaru, off-road or road-warrior, chances are I can make it. BOSS (Bill Omlin Subaru Specialties) is the name I will now be building my subaru parts under. Current products include my Bill Omlin Monster Lifts as well as my EA82 power steering pump kit for EA81 engines, as well as custom fab work, such as bumpers, roof racks, skid plates, light bars, frame bracing, you name it, I can probably make it. I soon hope to be set up to make EJ adapters, hub bolt pattern adapters (i.e., 4x140mm to 5 on 5.5", etc...), EJ lift kits 4" and up, as well as other neat and useful parts to customize your offroader, beef up your street beast, or make your custom motor swap go a lot easier. Everything I make is hand-fabricated by me and me alone, so sometimes it takes a while for somethings to get made, but I hope to be all jigged up for my lifts very shortly. My lifts are the strongest on the market, and at an affordable price. I can also do other modifications and custom installs, and I am open to trades and willing to negotiate. I will have pics up soon of some of my work, if you like what you see, give me a call at (509) 391-5903 or leave me a Private Message. We can work out a deal. Soon I should have a website set up, but Im just getting started right now. Thanks! -Bill

I would ditch the sway bar, I take it off all my rigs, once you get used to it its like you never took it off. If you do try to re-attach it, it will be a PITA cuz the holes wont want to line up due to the new angles on the control arms. Take it out and dont look back! -Bill

On EA81s, *almost* everything on the front end is the same between 4wd and 2wd models. I swapped the whole front suspension (lower arms, struts, hubs, axles, brakes, etc.) from a 1980 GL-5 2wd wagon and put it on my 1985 4wd Brat EA81s are possibly the most interchangeble cars there are... -Bill