briankk Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 I bought my Loyale without knowing much about Subarus generally, it was just the cheapest running 4WD vehicle withing a hundred miles, and I need something that will climb my snowy driveway in the winter. The darn thing grew on me. It's about the flimsiest motor vehicle I've ever owned, and is mechanically downright peculiar. I has all the issues you would expect in an old high milage car, I'm dealing with them one at a time. Next up, replace frozen driver side front caliper, then the rear wheel bearings.. It has an old, noisy EA82 engine, that has the issues expected in that engine, a re-build is in order, but... Back in the '90s, I was on a mail list called "AirSOOB", dedicated to adapting the EA 81 engine to use in small aircraft, still have some of the books and manuals from back then, but, after quite a lot of study, came to the conclusion that the Soob motor was not the best 100 hp engine for that job. Then came the EA82, bigger heavier, about the same hp and so even worse P/W ratio, and I found the Corvair engine, slightly better power and none of the downside of the Soob engine. I bought 2, still have one out in the shed, a late '69 Monza motor. Mr. Tape Measure tells me that that Monze engine would go in the hole left if I pulled the EA82. I'd have to fab up an adapter for the tranny, and an exhaust system, but otherwise not a big deal... Anybody ever done anything like this? Not only would the Soob engine issues go away, so would the cooling system and the chev would give better low speed torque in off road situations.. Dreaming on... bk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newsoobdude Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 You'll have a lot of fun when you try and sell it smog wise. Why not just drop an EJ into it and have 130 n/a hp. All conversion pieces are available here on the board through members from the harness to the adapter plate (only two pieces necessary). That and it'll be less than $500 for all but the motor. You are out in the middle of BFE Cali (got a house off Jesus Maria) but I know where an EJ is in a driving Legacy Wagon for $750ish. How far into the Point are you? Have a friend in Volcano with a large assortment of older Subie goodies too (EA series though, nothing newer than an '89). Might want to post this in the retrofitting section for more replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricearu Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 and the award for most unreliable subaru goes to!!!! i wouldn't HAUL a monza engine in my subaru, just in fear that my car might catch a case of the corvairs! im harsh but im an old vw guy and the corvair engines did not stand the test of time. they are downright unreliable im told. just slap an ej22 in it and be done. sell the corvair monza engine (for a pretty fat stack) and do the RELIABLE ej conversion also the soob engine bay is not suited for air cooled engines as far as cross flow is concerned, but anything is possible likely your "noisy" ea82 is just TOD and needs an oil pump reseal and cam tower reseal complete with "o" rings. I wouldn't rebuild an EA, just reseal it and be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briankk Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 You'll have a lot of fun when you try and sell it smog wise. Why not just drop an EJ into it and have 130 n/a hp. All conversion pieces are available here on the board through members from the harness to the adapter plate (only two pieces necessary). That and it'll be less than $500 for all but the motor. You are out in the middle of BFE Cali (got a house off Jesus Maria) but I know where an EJ is in a driving Legacy Wagon for $750ish. How far into the Point are you? Have a friend in Volcano with a large assortment of older Subie goodies too (EA series though, nothing newer than an '89). Might want to post this in the retrofitting section for more replies. Normally, I'd worry about smog, but hereabouts you smog on sale only, no 2 year inspection. I'm about 2 miles N of West Point, about a block from Higdon & Hwy 26.. How much does the EJ engine weigh? The Monza motor weighs about what the EA81 does.. Bought this car from a fellow lives abt 3-5 miles from where Jesus Maria meets the road from RR flat to Mtn. Ranch... bk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briankk Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 and the award for most unreliable subaru goes to!!!! i wouldn't HAUL a monza engine in my subaru, just in fear that my car might catch a case of the corvairs! im harsh but im an old vw guy and the corvair engines did not stand the test of time. they are downright unreliable im told. just slap an ej22 in it and be done. sell the corvair monza engine (for a pretty fat stack) and do the RELIABLE ej conversion also the soob engine bay is not suited for air cooled engines as far as cross flow is concerned, but anything is possible likely your "noisy" ea82 is just TOD and needs an oil pump reseal and cam tower reseal complete with "o" rings. I wouldn't rebuild an EA, just reseal it and be good to go. For the time being, the EA82 is going to get a "freshening" and left alone till next summer. You might be misinformed about Corvair engines, have a look around: http://www.flycorvair.com/ Development of that engine has been going on since 1960, and the end product is a pretty good piece.. bk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellets Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Being an old Corvair nut (had about 20 of them) They are not as bad as people say. As long as you carried a 9/16 wrench and a fan belt you were fine. I drove a Volkswagen camper with a corvair 110 in it all over western us. I had a little turbo spyder that I used to terrorize My neighbor's Porche 911 on a wild road going to work. The corvair accelerated fierce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumpycam Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 there would be a problem with the engine rotation!! they rotate counter clockwise, it can be corrected by installing a reverse camshaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi subbie Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Ive always wanted a Corvair. Ive only seen one driving round on the road. Think it was a station wagon verson. Saw another two in a car collection. One was a turbo. Thought it was sooo cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briankk Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 there would be a problem with the engine rotation!! they rotate counter clockwise, it can be corrected by installing a reverse camshaft. Ya know, I'd completely forgotten about that. But, as you say, reverse rotation cam would not be a real big deal. I do wonder about the valve rockers, I've heard that actual Corvair ones are getting hard to find, GM recommending SBC rockers, which bugger up the geometry. Fortunately, I have the right ones.. One thing that would be an advantage would be that you couldn't damage the cooling system offroad in some desert somewhere, and wear bits and pieces would be widely available, kragens, O'Reiley. Autozone, etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chad barker Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 hello mt briankk, my name is chad and your story is interesting. im sorry i cant help you on corvairs as i am a hardcore vw guy and they kinda rule in my world which brings me to you. i am in the beginnings of removing my ea82 out of my 87 gl wagon, purchased for the same reasons you got yours, big snowy hill, 100 bucks bought it, and i have a ea81 engine that has tested great but thers a lot i dont know about the diffrentces of these 2 motors, like my alt and ac brackets that came off the 82 dont fit on the 81 as there is no threaded holes cast into the block or casing. would any of your books or papers help me? would you have time or interest in sending pages ar some articles pertaining to this specific case? a while back i was on engineswap.com, they have a lot of weird stuff, you might check it out. also, if you wish to call, feel free at 208 989 5641, im in sw idaho and am anxiously await hearing from you. thanks so much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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