Hatch questions

[keltik]

Hey guys,

What year did the L series hatch first become available? I have some cunning plans and im no longer working on my '02 wagon i need a new toy.

 

I may have possibly found a 1979 Hatch...which doesnt sound right - I thought they were only a 81 onwards thing.

 

Its the FWD single round headlight model. Thats all i know - still awaiting pictures.

 

Did a lot of googling and a search here but just cant seem to find the info i wanted.

[Pooparu]

1980 was the first year for the hatchback.

 

Good luck with the project.

Edited April 27, 2010 by Pooparu

[keltik]

Well heres my new plaything. Needs work, but luckily ive got time on my hands. Enough chit-chat - Heres the pics;

 

 

EA71 motor. Runs average on 5year old gas, seems to go a lot better on fresh stuff.

5 speed FWD gearbox. Works. Clutch is either on or off....must be a performance kevlar one

Power wingmirrors on the wings. Also work.

In fact, pretty much everything on it works. The only thing letting down the side is the rust.

 

It has 3 or 4 bad patches, one on the rear drivers side quarter panel, another on the c/d pillar near the roof, a small patch in the hatch and i suspect a little bit in the drivers footwell.

 

Needs 2 new doors and 2 new front gaurds, im pretty sure brumby doors fit so shouldnt have too much drama there.

 

Has a big water leak at the mo from one of the heater hoses. Will get that sorted first. Towed it from ChristChurch to Wellington on a rope.....at night.....in the rain....with the driver of the tow car being American and not used to driving on the left....and has never towed anyone before. Can you say stressfull?

 

It had a massive clunking noise coming from the rear as i drove it out of the previous owners driveway - but that was just the rear wheel falling off. After tightening the lug nuts it was sweet. It then drove from the holiday park i stayed at in Picton - onto the ferry. No problems.

Driving off the ferry - it ran out of gas, so i had to push it the last 20 meters of the ramp before rolling it down into the carpark.

 

More photos to follow as i start doing crap to it.

[LPGsuperchargedBrumby]

nice score dude!!!!

 

i've only ever seen 2 of those, one in the local suby wreckers yard here that was so rusted out that i didn't even notice it was a subaru until i spotted the stud pattern on the wheels(i thought it was a old nissan hatch until i saw the wheels)

 

the other one i saw was on SH1 in Winchester lol i damn near ran off the road gawking at it as i drove past

 

one thing with swapping the doors off a brumby onto your hatch is to check the windows...i seem to remember reading on here that you need the side windows that match the vehicle...so you might need to swap the hatch windows into the brumby doors

[robm]

How did you get it on the ferry? They let you tow it on, with a rope?

[GeneralDisorder]

Yes - the window glass is different but the door itself is the same as the Brumby/Coupe.

 

As I recall, those are really rare in NZ and Aus. Only a very few imported - maybe for early rally racing? Though that particular model might not have been being it's a 2WD.

 

If you need any hatch specific parts they will probably have to come from the US.

 

GD

[keltik]

How did you get it on the ferry? They let you tow it on, with a rope?

 

Drove it on

Nobody seemed to mind that it wasnt registered and had no plates on it.

 

Even had a guy at the ferry terminal come and ask me about it as he had owned a heap of leones and never seen a hatch.

 

Yup really rare here. Luckily all of the hatch specific parts seem ok. Will definately get it insured once its running tho.

[keltik]

Does the hatch count as an EA81 or EA82 shape body? Just wondering so i can figure out what bits will fit in it. Im assuming its the same essential setup as a 2nd gen coupe as far as suspension and axles go.

[rxleone]

Does the hatch count as an EA81 or EA82 shape body? Just wondering so i can figure out what bits will fit in it. Im assuming its the same essential setup as a 2nd gen coupe as far as suspension and axles go.

 

That's a rockin' little hatch bro - get a D/R in that thing and once my wagon is up from the South Island we should hit up the Kaipara Dunes

[keltik]

Haha sorry mate, Im down in Palmerston North so Kaipara is a bit of a hike

 

Also the plans for this thing involve turning it into a go-kart. Going to use it for clubsport motorkhanas.

 

Wouldve liked a KP Starlet but theyre way overpriced.

[keltik]

Im thinking EA82T, 5 speed DR box, RWD with RXII LSD.

 

Reasons;

EJ22T impossible to find here

EJ20T wont fit between frame rails apparently

EJ20 SOHC not powerful enough

Turbocharging an EJ16/18/20 is going to require a rebuild and depending on motor - custom pistons.

 

All im wanting to know is if a EA82 5 speed will be a straight bolt in?

Also need to know if I'll need a custom center driveshaft?

 

Finally if anyone knows anything about megasquirt id love to know the basics. I can get a fully assembled V2.2 ECU here for dirt cheap, wondering if any extra parts are needed to run the EA82T

[eulogious]

Your opting for the ea82t?? You might get some flak for that I own an ea82t, and when it pisses all over itself for the last time, that motor is coming out right quick, and it will never go back in.

 

EJ20OHC not powerful enough? Really? That's GOT to have more power than the ea82, or ea81 I would think.

 

The hatch has an ea81 I believe, MUCH better motor than the ea82. I would just rebuild it, but in some better cams, and you will be much happier with it, than the troublesome ea82t.

 

BUT, if you want to go that route, here's some info on the MS with an ea82t...

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=108882

 

He got it up and running with very little issues, so it is doable.

 

But I would keep that stock motor in it and just work with it!

 

Now if you want it to be a go-cart and a toy, I would not get the ea82t. That kinda sounds like you want to "bag" on this thing when you say go-cart, and the ea82t will be more trouble than it's worth if that's your plan IMHO. ea82t's don't like abuse at all.

[keltik]

Yeah i figured opting for an EA82 would paint a target on my back.

 

But yeah, at 110hp for a EJ18...and the added expense of an adaptor plate, id be willing to try a EA82 and at least have the potential to wind the boost up a bit.

 

Have owned one briefly before and it never caused me any issues.

 

Thanks for the link - was a big help. Hatch has an EA71 in it at the moment and something is wrong with it as its gutless and refuses to rev.

[eulogious]

Don't get me wrong, I actually kinda like my ea82t. It's got the added power that is nice. I treat mine well, and don't abuse, so I haven't had any problems either.

 

I just know that when I say I want something to be a go-cart (like my 1985 MR2, it IS a go-cart Mid engine and all) I plan on driving it like a go-cart, so I would want an engine in it that will take being driven like a go-cart, so I will swap out the original motor for something more reliable. That's why I say the ea82t probably won't hold up too well to how I would drive a go-cart

 

But there is only one way to find out right? Throw one in and see what happens!

[ShawnW]

If the plan is to make it a Dual Range I would buy a whole parts car that is wrecked. I assume you would have an early version of what we call a Legacy here that has a D/R 5 speed. Gut the whole car and put the trans and engine in the hatchback. The rear diff would work even.

 

You are going to need the rear subframe from a 4x4 including a very hard to find hatchback 4wd fuel tank. The tank on these is shorter than the others.

 

I think the rear suspension and subframe can come off any ea81 body vehicle. The gas tank is going to be a pita to get there I am afraid. Heck pretty hard here too as most of the yards punch a hole in the bottom.

 

If you want a motor/shortblock shipped there I could check into it. Lots here.

[Yo'J]

The ej20t won't fit between the rails? I thought it would. You could put an aftermarket turbo on an ej22.... Nice score!

 

I put a 22 in my brat/brumbly w/ power steering and an ea82 dr5spd, its quite the go cart. Turbo would be nice though.

[keltik]

If the plan is to make it a Dual Range I would buy a including a very hard to find hatchback 4wd fuel tank. The tank on these is shorter than the others.

 

Ah crap! I didnt even think of the tanks being different. As this is the only hatch ive ever seen in the country - i dont think finding a 4WD tank is going to happen.

 

Ok thats not too much of a drama. Its not going to stop me doing a rear disc conversion.

 

Idea! I keep reading that the FWD impreza uses the same spline count as the EA81. Has anyone ever tried putting a whole EJ series FWD box in? Would need a custom gear shifter linkage but thats not hard.

[GeneralDisorder]

If you lift it high enough you can use the 2WD tank.

 

Or you could modify the existing tank, or install a fuel cell.

 

It can be done - you just have to want it.

 

EA82T would be a bad idea. Go with an EJ non-turbo - much less headache. You are fixating on the adaptor plate drama and forgetting about all the drama of the turbo, it's exhaust, and fitting that stupidly wide EA82 long block into the hatch body where it can't even be serviced without pulling it back out. The adaptor plate pales in comparison to the BS of installing an EA82T.

 

Also - you don't have a baffled fuel tank so you may need a surge tank for any form of fuel injection. Don't worry - we have to do that as well since no hatch ever came with FI here either.

 

GD

Edited June 25, 2010 by GeneralDisorder

[keltik]

The baffle is no problem, i have a good source for sorting that out.

As the car is getting dropped rather than raised - i dont think the 2WD tank would be an option.

 

Im trying to keep the car as close to stock as possible, hence why i dont like the idea of fitting a fuel cell.

 

Ok so if im going to go with a EJ motor....Id be really happy if i could throw a FWD Impreza transmission in it too. Almost any EJ18 i buy is going to come with one. Or will an EA82 FWD box bolt straight in? I have access to both.

 

Any ideas there?

[KiwiDan]

Awesome another kiwi on here. Cool car i have never seen a hatch before i didnt know there were any in NZ. I would be looking to put an EJ22 in there, the FWD EJ gearbox would work but traction might be a problem. I would go 4WD and build a custom fuel tank or modify yours. Finding doors and front guards could be hard, it took me a long time to find decent guards for my brumby and one of them has a small patch of rust at the bottom.

 

I am wrecking a seriously rusty brumby and have a few spares including a good ea81 and 4 speed dr box.

[Subruise]

that counts as an ea81...................wish we had wing mirrors:mad:

 

 

 

Rob

[Durania]

More pics of the GF8 (I think)

[keltik]

Hehe it isnt mine. But is currently running 250kw at the wheels from a Garrett GT3071R and a 6 speed version 7 transmission.

 

Its pretty quick to be fair.

 

Have got some doors and gaurds from DRFVDR and I think waimaks has a coupe bits i want.

 

Not worried about traction. Semi slicks will fix that. Would rather stay FWD than run a fuel cell. Will investigate the possibility of modifying this tank to suit.

[keltik]

Just bought an EJ22.

 

Let the good times begin

 

Now looking for a cad drawing of the adaptor plate so i can get one CNC cut at a mates machine shop.

Also looking for confirmation that the EJ22 will fit between the frame rails without modification

Edited June 30, 2010 by keltik

[stealth]

any updates?