cal_look_zero

You just wanted to see him sawzall into his car!

Um... wat? They're frameless doors. Stupidly easy to get something behind to push the lock button on the passenger door. Get a friend to help hold the glass back while you wiggle something between the pillar and hit the button.

Putting down 120psi cold on all 4 cylinders, ran it for 20 minutes in the driveway with the temp gauge settling in the middle and no overheating, but water is steadily dripping out from the engine, slightly to the driver's side of center. Water pump? The #2 cylinder has a heat damaged spark plug boot and a plug non fouler on it as well. Based on some browsing over on Legacy BBS, I may throw a set of rings at it if I'm going to the trouble of pulling the engine to do the HGs. Apparently it's all of 2 hours more work, and the peace of mind would be worth it.

Aw crap... I did it again! I took this off of subcyclist's hands this morning. Figured that instead of all the time and money involved in converting the Loyale to a 2.2 with 5 lug and discs, I could buy a Legacy. Not like it's going to see trails or much more off road than the road to the ski area or some fire roads heading out to go camping. Nice and rough. Body needs a bunch of work, engine is going to get HGs, t belt, water pump, etc etc. Left rear wheel has some positive camber, so something may be bent. Axle noise in the front end. Interior needs some serious love. 240k. Going to keep and drive the Loyale while I dink with this on the side. Get them both running and daily drivable, and go from there.

Why don't you get a multimeter with audible continuity and test what they lead to? Easy peezy. Considering no one else's answers seem to please you, do the legwork yourself!

I'm diggin it, but it's not something I would purchase. I'm a Subi loyalist because I live in the PNW and snowboard, ride mountain bikes, camp, and hike. Thus, an exceptionally capable AWD machine is what I need. However, Toyota's successful lineage of RWD coupes coupled with Subaru's reliable torque monster boxer engine should be a very fun car to drive, and will be a joy to hear about it thrashing on Corvettes that cost 2x as much.

Take the midget out of your trunk?

That's the exact kit I ordered. I think the 98 is just part of the part number. Order the 70 - 8900 wiring adapter while you're at it. http://www.amazon.com/Metra-70-8900-Harness-1990-up-1985-1989/dp/B0002BEQMA/ref=pd_cp_e_2

I think you mean the height? I used the Metra 8900 dash kit. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002BEVR0

I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries here by contributing an unbiased opinion on the matter. I find it really REALLY hard to swallow that a professional engine service doesn't mike their cranks before install to make sure the correct bearings are in place. I understand that things get lost in translation, but to me, that seems VERY sloppy. If I was in the market, your admission of incorrect main bearings would immediately send me to someone else for an engine. Regardless of what the machinist failed to communicate, that seems to be something you should just do before install. As far as the other stuff, meh, we won't get the whole story and a lot of it is moot. Pistons are pistons as long as they're round, in spec, and all had new rings. As an engine builder, you should have told him that you'll be using a new oil pump or not building him an engine; only way you can verify quality of the product going out to the customer. On the other hand, Jwischer's attitude in his postings seems to solidify CCR's story that he had a really bad attitude in dealing with the situation. Not to say that I would have been sunshine and lollipops when my "new" engine turned out to be a lemon, but attitude is everything.

I've never been a fan of Dual. They just feel cheapy, and for not being much $ less than Sony and JVC, not worth it. If I was going to buy a mechless with more RCA outs, and that is generally a nice unit; I'd go with the Clarion FZ501. $200 isn't that steep, and I've got a DXZ655MP from Clarion that's been in 3 cars now, bought in 05, and it still blows a lot of newer decks out of the water. If I keep the Loy, that's probably the unit I'll stick in it.

I would get in touch with smallcar to hash out the finer details. http://www.smallcar.com They sell the bellhousing you need, and if I remember correctly (was looking it up for my dad's 85 Westy) it fits all incarnations of EJ engine; 18, 20, 22 (SOHC and DOHC), and 25 (SOHC and DOHC) As far as which 25 engines came SOHC; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_EJ_engine#EJ25 Hope that helps.

Their ebay page is SO china! lol. The bluetooth would be nice, but that one just looks... Hokey? Have people said it's a good unit?

AM 1610 (Weather advisory) came in clear as day. FM is really hit or miss as it is around here, but it came in as clear as my Montero's stereo does.

After a lot of deliberation about modifying the radio position on the Loyale, and then having my CD deck screen be not visible as a result of the angle, I said "to heck with it" and took a chance on this head unit on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/220807673959?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_3035wt_985 Skeptical? Hell yeah I was. $45 for a head unit just seems to be asking for trouble. Then again when you get right down to it, it's a glorified MP3 player with a radio tuner; but still seems too cheap. In any case, I went to RE Audio's website and didn't see the head unit anywhere. I figured it had to be a knockoff with their name on it, but I went ahead and researched that. Come to find out that RE Audio is using the ebay seller as a test market for the deckless set up, and that it is, in fact, legit. So $45, whatever. I bought one. Showed up today, and I'm thoroughly impressed by the quality on something so cheap. Initially, I was put off by the weight, or lack thereof. Of course it's going to be light without a CD unit in it. The screen is bright and easy to see, the controls are easy to use and feel like they're well put together. The USB and SD card slots are conveniently located and auto read immediately. The unit is light enough that mounting the cage to the Metra dash kit is plenty stable, and the harness was marked VERY clearly with tags as to what wire goes where. The USB and SD inputs should have dust covers IMO, but it's not a huge issue. The folder navigation is a little funky, but not impossible. There's only subwoofer preamp RCAs, so a full system isn't happening (then again, you wouldn't be using a $45 head unit if you had amps and subs now would you?) All in all, 10/10 for value, 8/10 for ease of use, and an 8.5/10 for quality. You can see the pictures in the ebay ad, and here's one of it installed in the Loyale. Plenty of room to spare behind the deck for wiring.

Can't help but point out your username... Fixed glass is something I never have, nor will mess with. I can change out door glass all day long, but won't trust myself to get a good seal/not break the glass. However, the easiest method I can recommend for removal, is to go to HF and buy a couple of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-diameter-suction-cup-40993.html Fasten one to the roof or body of the car, another to the glass in question. Tie a rope or cord between the 2 handles so if the glass all of a sudden frees up, it's less likely to hit the ground. Cut the seals with a razor knife and liberally spray the rubber with WD40 or similar to help free the glass up. Don't pry or force it.

Although I tracked the guy down and got the adapters in motion, the cost efficiency of this and using stock goods definitely piques my interest. Do you weld the stock holes closed? And do you mill the lip on the drum/hub down so that rims will sit flush?

My Loyale feels fine up to about 80. I have a vibration in my steering wheel, but aside from that (which is just annoying) it feels solid. It's not going to ride like an STi on pink springs, but it's definitely more confidence inspiring than my 69 bug was.

...Of a million miles. Yes, I pulled off the road at just the right time to get picture... 333,333.3 miles. Crazy.

Sounds to me like the choke/cold start assist/whatever Subi calls it isn't functioning quite right. When you start it on ether, where are the rpms at when it catches and runs?

I'm right there too. Problem I'm running into is that the sellers don't have any technical data on spring rates, coil length, coil ID, etc. It wouldn't be hard to find a kit that would be comparable if that data was available.

Where did you find sleeve/spring kits for Subis for under $100? The only thing I've found is Skunk2 kits for WRX for about $300 shipped. Also, what year Imp kits work?

I had to modify generic shock absorber bushings to fit since I was having about as much luck finding them as you.

I spoke to the guy today and he said that the adapters will be 32mm thick. He will ship them with low profile lugs to lock the adapters to the hubs, and a set of lugs for the new rims (so 16 low profiles and 20 regular lugs) Whoever wants to be a guinea pig gets a nice discount. If you want to test them, send me a PM. You need to be ready to move on them and have some 5 lugs ready to test fitment and all.

My 69 VW bug was the same way. I bought it for $800 and had almost $5,000 into it at the end of the road. Eventually I had replaced everything that could be replaced and it was effectively a new car... in some twisted way. I went overboard though; no bills and 2 jobs make for a lot of extra money to play with. I really can't complain about this car. All told, I have $400 or so into it (counting the $80 I had into the bike I traded for it.)