NickNakorn

New page and pics at: http://www.nagara.co.uk/leftarch1.htm I've fallen behind with my Subaru restoration updates so I'll post a few more pages over the next few days. Meanwhile, I've been hugely enjoying the Honda CRX. I hope to have the Subaru back on the road before the end of the month and the Honda will then go into the workshop for some minor work before going on sale.

Turbone, thanks!

Looks like a great restoration project; even if it's not one of the original rally cars (Ask Subaru competition dept), you couls make an excellent replica!

A few pics from the UK Below: my old green car a few years ago at work in the woods... Above: my red car near Ilsington, Devon with Haytor in the background.. Below: near Castle Drogo Above: near Drogo Below: with Stonehenge in background Below: near Scorriton, Devon

There are many photos of engine-out head work on my website at: http://www.nagara.co.uk/carhome.htm . It's much, much easier to do a good job with the heads if the engine is out; not least to clean all the mating surfaces properly and to have good access when reassembling. Removing the engine is easy in an EA82 car so it's worth the small ampount of extra time to do a good job.

Wow, thanks! Getting encouraging comments helps make it all worthwhile. I'm just finishing the second passenger (UK) side rear wheel arch. It was in some ways in worse shape than the driver's side: we drive on the left so all the crap from the gutter is sprayed over the left rear.. Here's the 'before' pic. I'll post the whole story of the left rear arch on my website when I have time .

I agree that low octane fuel will most likely be the problem assuming there is nothing loose. 'pinging' or 'pinking' as we say in the UK, often occurs under load in high gears when the throttle is open fairly wide and revs are low - the vacuum advance is advancing faster than revs can climb. If this happens when the throttle is only part-open then you need to either retard the static ignition (vacuum disconnected while setting) or use a higher octane fuel. If it only happens in high gear with the throttle wide open then just drop to a lower gear. Plenty of 'performance' cars of old were set with loads of advance and it was 'normal' to 'pink' occasionally. Prolonged pinking will burn a hole in a piston so you need to get to the bottom of the problem. If, when the engine is not too hot, you try the following test, you will know. Find a level stretch of road and pull away gently and, using only part-throttle, short-shift so you are in 5th at about 40 mph; then, floor the throttle. If it pinks, you know it's an 'advance' problem caused by either ignition timing or octane number being too low. If it doesn't pink under those conditions then the sound is not pinking.

I had the same problem on my L-series after it had been laid up for a while. After cleaning the whole assembly I sprayed it with plenty of penetrating oil and then used a caliper piston winding tool. Once it began to free-off, I noticed that it needed a hell of a lot of winding - I just assume it is on a fine thread. I've never had one of those calipers in pieces so I have no idea what they're like inside. But, eventually it wound back far enough to fit the new pads - needless to say, I removed all traces of oil with spray brake cleaner. I also took the opportunity to de-glaze the disks with some wet and dry paper. I ended up fitting new discs in the end because of excessive run-out. Amazingly, brand bew disks from Subaru were actually cheap! Less expensive than having them skimmed... not many parts from Subaru are a bargain.

Northwet, thanks; that's the info I was looking for. As it's not a job I've done on a Subaru, I did not know it was necessary - hence my lack of offering advice on the matter.

It all looks very good!

Caster and camber tend to be nonadjustable and I would expect the toe-in was incorrect. The deformed bush and the tyre wear have both been caused by the excessive toe-in and the cure is to have the tracking checked (or do it yourself on a very flat surface) by a garage. Your workshop manual should specify the amount. Having the correct tracking makes a massive difference to tyre wear, fuel economy and handling.

UK cars rust like crazy too - salted roads and lots of rain! My wheel arches were in a terrible state! Our annual mandatory road-worthiness test called the MOT considers all sills (rockers panels) on unitary construction cars (non-chassis or unibody) to be structural and we have to repair all rust considered to be affecting the structure and/or 30 cm from a suspension mounting point.

Ah! Interesting difference in nomenclatures - Trans to Diff we would call Gearbox to Diff and we would call it 'prop-shaft' rather than drive shaft. 'Half shaft' is what we call the removable axles in a 'live' axle assembly. Anyway, linguistic comparisons aside, why do you want to separate them? Still don't get it.

Just out of interest, why do those parts ever need to be separated - isn't it possible to rebuild the whole driveshaft/driveaxle (in UK we call them driveshafts) without separating them?

Sad thing is that, because of their reputation for strength, they're not looked after and soon all the classic Subarus will be destroyed by trashing them as in this vid. If you like something, look after it, don't smash it up! I really don't understand why someone would rather destroy something than look after it. If you don't want it then give it to someone who does - the ethics of the 'consumer society' are not good.

Glen, thanks for looking at my website. Of course it all depends on one's definition of 'fast' ! While my Subaru is in the process of being fixed I'm using my old Honda CRX; fast compared to the Subaru but slow compared to (say) a modern Aston. But all 1.8 EA82 wagons I've owned would do the magic ton if required!

Many thanks for the kind comments; I've found my old skills are 'coming back' after several years (decades!) doing other work. But MIG welding is entirely new to me as I used to use oxy-acetylene; I've had to change because of the price and availability of acetylene in the UK makes it uneconomic for the small user.

If you can find an RX in a scrap yard you could always filch the LSD and the 14" rims. By the way, a few manufacturers do make winter tyres in 13" although you might have to import them.

Rust, your wagon looks great. But does the front bull-bar compromise your approach angle when off road?

Nerd and Petrol-head alert! http://www.nagara.co.uk/Wheelarch4.htm I somehow forgot to post this episode before Christmas. So, out of sequence, here it is. As usual, whole story at http://www.nagara.co.uk

Hi Press Lab, You don't say if your car has a carburettor or fuel injection; if the former I can say I've had the same problem on one of my EA82 cars. My solution was to clean the carb thoroughly, paying special attention to the idle jet, and I ensured all linkages were properly oiled. On a fuel injected Honda CRX I had a similar problem and replaced the idle injector solenoid (strangely expensive).

Hey, many, many thanks! It's appreciated. I often wonder if those pages are useful and it's good to know the time spent doing them is helpful to someone somewhere. I'm currently fixing the second rear wheel arch - just as rusty but not in exactly the same places so I've had to make quite a few new templates. I'llk do some new pages in a week or so. Cheers!

Oh, and I meant to mention that they are great for seeing the countryside too!

I've been using 'loyales' (called L-series here in UK) for over 20 years and can honestly say they are the best cars I've ever owned even though they've been a heap of trouble. Why? Because my work has been generally low-income stuff and I've bought a succession of very cheap and poorly maintained cars. In my experience, the Subaru's reputation for longevity and reliability meant that many owners (mostly farmers in the UK) ran them for 150,000 without so much as a service and then sold them to people like me. I've had several old 1.8 4x4 EA82 cars and mechanically they've all been fixable. it's their propensity to rust that lets them down on our heavily salted roads. Recently I've undertaken my first full rebuild of an EA82 - only worth it financially because they are rare as hens teeth here - and hope to have a hard-working car that will last me till I peg it. Even in bad shape I've always been able to cruise at, ahem, the legal limit and know for sure a good one will stay at 90 all day if you want it to. (though my speeding days are over Your Honour). Driving frugally around the lanes I get 40mpg but that goes down to 20 or less of you use the performance. So I would agree with previous posters that if you are handy with a spanner they are very good cars. Otherwise, let another enthusiast restore it to health. Follow workshop manual instructions and you'll find it all reasonably easy. best of luck! http://www.nagara.co.uk/carhome.htm

Those pistons look pretty good, I've seen a hell of a lot worse. The will clean up well but check the ring grooves for spec when you gap the rings and the little end bearings for wear (I'm in UK and I know out car language is not the same - wrist pin bearing in USA?). As you can see, mine were more carbonated but cleaned up well using fine wire wool and spray carb cleaning solvent. Your pistons look almost 'too' clean - perhaps 'washed' by hot water from a gasket leak? My rebuild pics at http://www.nagara.co.uk/carhome.htm