Syonyk

It's been done, and they were kickass rally/hillclimb cars. :-) -=Russ=-

'92 Loyale: ~2700 lbs. '83 RX-7: ~2250lbs '88 Daihatsu Charade: ~1850lbs. I recall when I got it, I thought it was so light handling. Then my vehicles swapped around a bit, and it's now my heavy pig. Needs an EJ22 and some suspension work. :-) </pointless thread> -=Russ=-

Hm... fully shaved does look a bit "bland" on the side. I was also considering a kick panel cover of some form of rubberized protective coating (Rhino Liner type stuff). I've seen pictures of that, and it does look good. -=Russ=-

Something along those lines. Shinier, though. -=Russ=-

A friend of mine is looking for some paint projects, and I've been looking to clean up the exterior on my Loyale a bit. One thing I was tossing around was shaving the body panels a bit (removing the molding and filling that area in with sheet metal), going with a metallic black, black powder coated wheels, tint, and leaving just the Subaru badges - none of the lettering. Has anyone done this (pics?), or would it look hideous? I'm trying to modernize the look a bit - something that still keeps the distinctive lines of an old gen Subie, but doesn't look quite the same, and looks a bit newer than the late 80s style it is. This would be matched with cleaning up the interior, adding some sound deadening all around (HushMat is good stuff, possibly using Dynamat for the floor), and doing a full suspension refresh. Eventually I'd like to throw an EJ series motor in there, but the EA82 is making good compression, so I may as well put a few more miles on it. Thoughts? -=Russ=-

Sucks to lose the car, but it did the most important thing - keep you alive. I'll take "crawling out of a mangled car" over "a mangled me being pulled out of a pristine car" any day. -=Russ=-

*looks at his '92 Loyale sitting out back covered in gravel dust from bombing down gravel roads earlier today* *looks at pictures of his '88 DL* *looks at pictures of his '87 GL* Yup. Addictive little buggers. Light, easy to work on, efficient, and absolutely unreal in the snow. Though it *is* possible to get one stuck with Blizzaks. -=Russ=-

How loud is that? I'm not opposed to a bit of noise, but I do have women riding in this car on a semi-regular basis. :-) -=Russ=-

Hm. The grinds they have are "mild street (260 degree)" and "hot street (272 degree)" - I'm getting the mild street one. I may try taking the muffler off and see how much of a difference there is. I was assuming the stock cats were a bit restrictive, but that's coming from the RX-7 world, where pulling the cats out is worth 10-15hp on a NA. -=Russ=-

About to order myself a set of Delta cams to throw in my Loyale (EA82 SPFI). It's a daily driver, but I do enjoy autocrossing it and throwing it about on gravel/snow, and a bit more power up high would be beautiful. I've also found an exhaust shop that will do carry out work. One thing I've heard repeatedly is that for the cams to really shine, you need to upgrade the exhaust system slightly. What size pipe should I be looking at for the Y-pipe and then the main run back? I'd like to get rid of the cats, put a glasspack in place of the main resonator, and then either a glasspack on the back or a stock-ish muffler. Also, has anyone dyno'd an EA82 before/after the cams? I'm curious as to how much power I'll gain up high. Thanks! -=Russ=-

Either way, they're structural. :-) -=Russ=-

I can believe that they're not horribly restrictive at stock power outputs. They're still ugly though, and IMO the car sounds MUCH better without it. :-) Do you by chance have a link to that thread? I've looked, and I can't seem to find it. I'm also planning to put a slightly hotter Delta cam grind in my engine when I pull it out to reseal it (again - damned rear main), so I'll be flowing at least a bit more than stock. I haven't gone back out with my vacuum gauge to check high RPM vacuum and see if it actually made a difference, but I can say the throttle response seems improved - it's happier to rev, which would be consistent with a shorter intake system. This evening I'm going to do some pulls with the vacuum gauge and see if it actually affected anything numerically. I'm also posting this as a FYI - I've owned 3 EA82s, over about 4 years, and never knew these were in there. -=Russ=-

It's the heavy plastic "Subaru" badge that sits on top of the intake snorkel. It's apparently structural. -=Russ=-

As I've posted a few times, I'd been trying to figure out why on earth my '92 Loyale was down on power - it wasn't as fast as my '87 GL, by a long shot, and there was no good reason. I suspected fuel or sensors, but couldn't find anything wrong. After some fiddling with a vacuum gauge, I determined that my badgeless intake snorkel was collapsing under load, and choking the intake off. Fixed that, and things were MUCH better - it had a powerband that went up to 6000 RPM or so instead of 5000, and was much better at getting up to speed, holding speed, running with the AC on, etc. Oddcomp was kind enough to give me a bit more useful info. Specifically, he informed me of the presence of a silencer in the fender. Me: "Silencer?" I didn't know it did anything other than suck air straight in. So... half an hour of cursing later, and I had the beast out. And suddenly, I realized why drilling out the airbox helps people. It bypasses this beast. Having removed it, the throttle response is better (about 33% of the intake length was removed), it feels like there's a bit more power, and... the sound. Oh, the sound. I have an engine that makes noise now! On the throttle hard, and "vrURRRRR" - as opposed to "whoooosh." This is the monster I pulled out. This is all your engine breathes through, stock. This is what an unsuspecting individual might be lead to believe the engine breathes through. -=Russ=-

Updates: See my other (soon to be posted) thread, but it turns out it wasn't fuel at all - it was intake restriction. The Subaru badge was missing from the intake snorkel, and it causes it to collapse under vacuum and choke off the engine. If you're missing the badge, you're missing out on probably 15-20hp at the top end. -=Russ=-

I'm trying to decide if I have space under the hood to work up something that flows a bit better or not. I may just work out a bulge for the top so the air can arch in - that's sort of what I have now with the coat hanger bits propping it up. Any chance of getting a pic of your setup? I've been kicking around a cone filter, but I haven't tested yet to see if the stock filter actually is a restriction. I had been shifting at 5000, because that's where the power completely fell off. After opening up the intake, it seems to pull decently through at least 6000. Thanks again for all the help! -=Russ=-

Awesome! I miss my '87 GL (DR/FI). *still annoyed at the guy who bought it running it out of coolant repeatedly and frying the head gaskets* Remember to talk him down based on the "valves being bad" - you'll need to pull the heads, replace stuff, etc. And try to avoid the ear to ear grin until you've given him the money and have the title. Then, if you want to be an arse, fix it on the spot and drive it home. :-) -=Russ=-

Reposting from a thread over in retrofitting: Background: I've been unhappy with the power of my '92 Loyale. It just felt gutless up high compared to the previous wagon I drive ('87 GL). Finally got around to doing some troubleshooting after finding out that, yes, it was actually probably slow. Result? Know that nice hard plastic Subaru badge on the top of the rubber intake snorkel? Yea... it's not just there for decoration. It's functional. I decided, since I actually had money, that a vacuum gauge would be worthwhile for troubleshooting. At the very least, I could see what my intake system was doing. Hook it up to the intake manifold, do a hard pull. Result? 2.5" vacuum by 5000 RPM. Not... what I was hoping to see. I put some zip ties around the rectangular boot to try and arch the top up, to see if that would flow better. Do a pull, and... 3.5" vacuum by 5000? WTF? It had sucked it in, and reversed the arch, so it was restricting the flow more. So, I bent up some coat hanger wire, wedged it in (even if it does come out, it won't fit down past the injector), and set it so it was holding the top part up, slightly arched. 1.2-1.5" vacuum at 5000 RPM, 2" at 6000 RPM. And it definitely pulls harder up high. I'll probably raise my shift point by 500 RPM. So... that badge? Worth at least a few HP. :-) -=Russ=-

I found at least part of the problem. Know that nice hard plastic Subaru badge on the top of the rubber intake snorkel? Yea... it's not just there for decoration. It's functional. I decided, since I actually had money, that a vacuum gauge would be worthwhile for troubleshooting. At the very least, I could see what my intake system was doing. Hook it up to the intake manifold, do a hard pull. Result? 2.5" vacuum by 5000 RPM. Not... what I was hoping to see. I put some zip ties around the rectangular boot to try and arch the top up, to see if that would flow better. Do a pull, and... 3.5" vacuum by 5000? WTF? It had sucked it in, and reversed the arch, so it was restricting the flow more. So, I bent up some coat hanger wire, wedged it in (even if it does come out, it won't fit down past the injector), and set it so it was holding the top part up, slightly arched. 1.2-1.5" vacuum at 5000 RPM, 2" at 6000 RPM. And it definitely pulls harder up high. I'll probably raise my shift point by 500 RPM. So... that badge? Worth at least a few HP. :-) I'm not sure I've taken care of every issue yet, but at least one is definitely tracked down. Thanks for the suggestions/"Yes, your car isn't running right"! -=Russ=-

And what are you doing in the summer that is overwhelming the traction available from the two front tires? :-P -=Russ=-

Mine will hold highway speed, but not horribly well - slight hills and I'm flooring it to hold 65-70mph. I know it's not insanely fast, but the Loyale is very definitely slower than my '87 GL was. Check engine light has started coming on, reporting O2 sensor issues. This is recent, and I don't notice a difference in engine operation from before it started doing this. Plugs/wires quite recently, cap/rotor maybe 10k miles ago, and they look fine. Fuel filter when I got the car, 20k miles ago. PCV hasn't been replaced. It's hotwire, and I've cleaned it off with carb cleaner - there was a bit of crud on it. I haven't used an oiled filter - just paper ones. I'll look for vacuum leaks, and try disconnecting the Y-pipe. That'll definitely provide some data. I'm also going to pick up a vacuum gauge and check it both at idle, and at high RPM WOT - if my intake boot is restricting things badly, it'll show there. Thanks for the suggestions! -=Russ=-

The only thing the ECU complains about is the oxygen sensor - it has 20k miles on it, which is young, but... the rear main dumps oil down around it, so it may very well have fouled out. Shouldn't affect wide open throttle power, though - just fuel economy at cruise. One thing that I have noticed is the intake - it seems like it's sort of collapsed down on itsself (the angle going to the throttle body from the intake) - I may try to wedge that open with something and see if anything improves. I suppose a vacuum gauge would also tell me what I need to know (much vacuum past the throttle body at wide open throttle = resistance in the intake system). I'm fairly sure the cams are timed properly - I've replaced the timing belts, and there was no before/after difference. Would the cam sprockets being reversed cause issues, though? I don't recall there being a difference in angles, but... I could be wrong. How would one test for clogged cats, short of removing them? There's the blob at the junction of the Y-pipe that I was told is a cat, and then I thought the cylindrical thing under the driver's area is a cat as well. Other symptoms of things being not quite right include a rough idle (it shakes more than it should - rocks the car at times), hesitation when cold at partial throttle, and being completely gutless with the AC compressor on (hot day, AC on, foot on floor, I'm more or less cruising at 75). -=Russ=-

Hm. I've got the throttle body/AFM/injector/fuel pump/etc from the 'GL (friend fried the motor in it after I sold it, and I was able to take parts before he scrapped it - still pissed about that). I'll try swapping them in and see if I can get it to run better. I suppose another factor is that the Loyale has a full exhaust system - the GL had the y-pipe, a glasspack, and then out. I'm running both cats, and a muffler. I didn't think it would be a huge difference, but if one of the cats is a bit clogged, it would explain some of the power loss. I suppose I can try running with just the y-pipe and see how it does. Or just get a custom exhaust system made - I've been wanting to do that anyway. So only being able to hit 45-50mph on an uphill on ramp isn't normal for an empty Loyale? -=Russ=-

Fair enough. That's why I'm asking first. That's good to know, then. I was assuming that since people have the EA82Ts pushing 160-170hp the gearbox could handle it, but I suppose the EJ25 would have a lot more torque than an EA82T wound up tight. If that's the case, then I'll probably just look at trying to find an EJ22 somewhere. Or... if I can find one for a good price, maybe just look for a newer Subie to take daily driver duties. A 2000 Legacy GT would be nice. The other thought I had is that maybe there's something wrong with my EA - compression is good, but... it's more gutless than I recall my '87 GL being. I might have a partially clogged cat or something. It's really quite slow, and fuel economy has been lower than it seems it should be (all as compared to the '87 GL, which was basically the same car, just without AC). -=Russ=-

I'm more interested in "usable power" than "gobs of power I'll never use" - I live in Iowa, where interstate speeds are 75+mph, and when fully loaded with people or computers or (whatever), if I've got an uphill onramp, I'm lucky to be doing 50 when I get to the merge zone. Oncoming semis that can't get over... well... I've spent more time hanging out in the shoulder at speed than I care to discuss. What kind of power are the EJ22 swaps making? I was under the impression most EJ22s are in the 130hp range, which isn't that huge of a jump from 90hp. I'm also not at all opposed to going standalone, as stated before. OBDI/OBDII/etc is ECU based, not engine based. The big factor here is that there's someone fairly local with the EJ25, and it's kind of rare to find EJ-anythings in junkyards, at least around me. Not quite as much of a laugh from junkyard workers as asking for Daihatsu parts, but... new gen Subarus are pretty darn rare. -=Russ=-