Subaru Scott

I did 3 of them like that back in the day, completely stock, no lift. Had an EA82T in my hatch. Took the front halfshafts out in the summer. But that was when the EA82 was the NEW engine... Oooo... Overhead cams!! The EJ was still just a twinkle in Subaru's eye.

I have found that shooting the end of my dipsticks with a thin coat of flat black spray paint makes them much easier to read, especially when the oil is new.

Sure. You will have to pound a dent in the frame rail on the drivers side so the valve cover of the EA82 will clear. I would recommend just swapping the 5-speed in with your existing EA81 engine, if it's in good shape. You will get a minimal power increase with the EA82, but they come with more issues... Personally, I would rather just put a Weber on the engine you have. If you really want to upgrade, an EJ22 from an early Legacy fits right in with no pounding A lot more involved though...

The OE parts are manufactured by those companies for Subaru. When you order the correct parts, giving them your VIN, or the part numbers, if you wish to find the diagrams and look them up un your own, the parts you get will be made by the manufacturers names that GD listed. If they had no clue, then.. they really have no clue!

Any auto parts store will have a belt gauge, so they can measure yours and give you a replacement. If the numbers an the belt are still legible, one number will be the measurement, usually in millimeters.

Hey Pegleg, Welcome to the Subaru community, and congrats on the Brumby find! My suggestion would be to find an early 90's Legacy donor with an auto, and put the works in there. I think that would be a whole lot easier than finding an older 3AT and adapting that in, plus whatever issues the current engine has. You will have to cut down the wiring harness from the donor to run the electronics, but the rest is not too difficult. Plenty of build threads here to see how others did it. Cheers!

...don't forget oil pump shaft seals

Yeah, 2 guys can pull one out pretty easy. I actually did many pushrod engines solo. In the engine compartment, standing on the frame rails facing the front of the car, grab the intake on both sides and lift it out, resting it on the core support, where I gingerly balanced it while climbing out. Then set it on the ground. One time I bought a gen 1 wagon without an engine. Had someone drop me off at the house with an engine, my toolbox, and a jug of anti-freeze. Tossed it in by hand, right in the driveway and drove it home. Seller was slack-jawed! Keeping it balanced on the core support was the scary part. and I always meant to make a little bracket to steady it there. Then somebody gave me a hospital bed lift. Which is basically just a mini engine hoist with really big castor wheels on it, and it was uber-perfect for Soobies. The top just pulled out of the base, and it would fit easily in the back of a Brat or wagon! Friend of mine trashed it trying to load a 400 Ford engine...

Yeah, not really my preference either, especially on a personal vehicle. That was in a busy shop when all the lifts were tied up.

Nice video!

I agree that it looks like a carb car that someone tried to put an SPFI engine in. All you need is a carb manifold, distributor, and a Weber. You'll be rollin!

Connect a fuel pressure gauge. See if the pressure drops way off after shut off when warm. You should have full pressure after fuel pump primes before start.

I did plenty of clutches on 1st and 2nd generations like that. Pull the radiator, undo exhaust, bellhousing and motor mounts. Jack up transmission till engine mounts were clear, then slide motor out on a floor jack and tilt it forward. Plenty of room, and you can leave hoses, wiring, alternator, compressor, etc connected.

Same old story, all over again... We finally get to this plateau where the engines are efficient, and incredibly durable, then the bean counters have to come along and **** it up! It's all about new car sales and the pressure to stretch current technology, which is working just fine, to the limits in order to beat the specifications, namely, "cents per mile," of the other manufacturers. That's why Subarus recommended oil change intervals went to 7500 miles. Anybody on here leave their oil in for that long? Didn't think so. That's also why we've got this oil now that pours like freakin water, and "tighter clearances." And now with the reduced friction rings... Makes me just wanna hoard EJ22s and EG33s... okay, so I already do... my point is, I just hate to see Subaru going this way. I know they have to sell cars, but I truly believe word of mouth from satisfied owners is infinitely more powerful than advertised MPG.

OK, So I got the new radiator installed and the engine and trans seem to be fine. The A/C condenser was bowed in like a pringle, but wasn't leaking. So I figured I had nothing to lose, and with some 2x4's braced behind it, got it pretty flat again. At least good enough to fasten to the mounts. Miraculously, it's still not leaking. After that, I snuck it over to the local car wash, a couple blocks away, to try and blast most of the mud that was pretty thoroughly PACKED under the whole underside, in every nook and cranny! I mean like solid, on TOP of the exhaust heat shields, etc. Pretty fortunate for me though, that all the mud this thing plowed through took most of the impact. Very little metal parts were bent at all, just mostly broken plastic pieces. No idea where this woman went off the road but sure wish I had a video of it. Got the r. front control arm changed. Couldn't find one of those used either. Just as well, cause the new one came with a ball joint, which it already had needed, and Looks to me like the rear bushing was already separated for some time. I guess that must be an issue with these cars? Took for a little longer ride, since the wheel wasn't rubbing anymore What a smooth, quiet, luxurious ride!!! I Love it! Other than at least one bent wheel, I think the mechanicals are OK at this point, so I'm onto putting the body back together. Rear bumper cover looks ok, other than some torn fastener points. Front cover is pretty rough and the grills are gone. It has a hole and a couple of rips I'm going to try and patch up. First order of business before the rear bumper cover goes on : SUPERHITCH!! Got a bare receiver tube from Harbor Freight, and some 1/4" plate from the local metal supply, along with some 1 1/2" angle. Pulled out the ol' Lincoln "tombstone," and went to work. I did shop around for a ready made hitch, but didn't like the way the aftermarket ones were made. Didn't look strong enough. I really liked the way the factory hitch was made, and how it tied into the car much better, but 1 1/4" ? Can't do it... not with what I plan to tow. Love how these cars have actual bumpers, without shock absorbers! But I just couldn't leave the 8mm mounting bolts. Probably would be ok, but they are only designed to perform well in an impact situation, IMO. Nuts didn't even have complete thread circles, just intended for cutting through any slag or heavy paint globs at factory assembly. So, I knocked 'em out, drilled and replaced with 7/16" grade 8 Underside view: Extra detail of angle iron tied into tube and running 24" up into frame rails: All with grade 8 fasteners. That aint goin' nowhere!!

Why not Safelite?

I would have to agree, that's too much for a #10 wire. Do you have an ammeter? You could do a real-world check on the maximum your system could possibly draw, by turning on ALL your accessories, something you would probably never do anyway, and size your fuse just above that. Don't forget the rear defroster.

One of my high school auto mechanics teachers told me a story about a guy bringing an old Rambler into a shop he used to work at. The guy was a regular customer and told the shop owner, "Well, my old car's got a rod knocking." Three of the mechanics walked out to the car, the guy started it up, and, "Knock, knock, knock." "Yep, that's a rod alright," said one of them. And they all agreed, without even opening the hood. The guy sold the Rambler to the shop owner for parts, and they parked it out back. Six months later, one of the mechanics went out to get a part off the engine. When he started poking around, he noticed the generator had come loose. He then noticed a chunk of rubber missing from the v-belt... They called the customer to apologize, and ask if he wanted his car back. He told them he had a new car now and everything was fine, because he said "I'm the one who told you it had a rod knocking!"

I've seen a couple of cars that exhibited signs of ECM failure. Unplugged the connectors, untwisted/freed up any connectors that were in a bind. Made sure all wires were seated fully in the connectors and plugged back in, making sure all wires were free at rest with no side pull, etc. That fixed them. This should be one of the last things you do, the tips already mentioned above are much more likely to be the problem.

Under $1k...

Once upon a time, the ball joint boots were available separately through the dealer. I believe SOA sourced them from somewhere, because so many spider monkey mechanics were using pickle forks on them, and ruining the boots, just to get axles off, etc. I say SOA must have sourced them, because since I left the dealership, I can't find a part number. I have found some replacement "boots" that don't clamp and seal around the joint, only suitable for a greasable joint, at Autozone, etc. It's a shame, really...

...and the market responds!! ^^^

Pretty sure the vacuum actuators didn't start till 2nd gen.

But... how are you gonna get the smell out? ????

I've been working on, and driving Subarus since 1979. I've had many, many great ones... some I wish I still had. But up until now, I've never owned anything newer than my 94 SVX. I am a former dealership master technician, so keeping my old Soobies running is no big deal. But now I have found myself in need of a larger tow vehicle for a vintage houseboat that my wife and I plan to do some traveling with. My first thoughts had been to modify "Frankencar," a vehicle I put together 16 years ago from scrap. A homemade frame with Subaru Outback suspension, EJ22 engine, and JDM dual-range transmission. I'm on my second body now, first one rusted away in Indiana winters, hence the reason for a heavy-duty reusable chassis. So I'm rockin an 88 XT I picked up in Missouri for 200 bucks. It is capable of towing the houseboat now, but it's a white-knuckle ride. So, I started looking for a heavier suspension from an SVX or Tribeca. Along with adding another EJ22 with a FWD transmission in the rear, driving a 3rd axle, I felt would be more than adequate to tow, and stop, the boat. After locating a donor car for the engine and transmission, I was looking for chassis components when I saw an ad for a complete 07 Tribeca, listed under auto parts, for 1k dollars. A younger guy had listed it there, his wife had gone off the road down a muddy ravine and he didn't think it could be repaired. I drove 2.5 hours to see it, and talked him out of it for 700. (don't hate me) Since he only had it listed under auto parts, he had gotten no calls for it, other than a couple of people looking for a part or two. So, I loaded her on a dolly, disconnected the driveshaft, and towed her home. First order of business was to assess the condition and damage. 142k miles, pretty clean inside. Engine ran well but the radiator was cracked, so I couldn't run but just a couple minutes. R. lower control arm was bent, as well as at least one wheel. Front and rear bumper covers were torn off, but had been recovered and loaded in the back. Hood was a little bent and the windshield was cracked. But I got to thinking, maybe, I just might fix her up as my tow vehicle instead of cannibalizing her. I decided I would first get a radiator, so I could make a solid determination on the engine and transmission, then make the call. My first thought was to just adapt a bigger, maybe dual core, radiator out of something else. But after checking out the weird double upper hose setup, which wasn't really a deal breaker, I did take a closer look at the stock replacement and found that the 3.6 used the same radiator, so I figured the stock one was probably more than adequate. And Rock auto sold me a Denso, OE replacement, for about 140 delivered More to come, so stay tuned!