1982 Subaru GL Hatch, Turbo, "Quatro San"

[TOsborn]

For any background info on the car, please refer to the "Quatro San Lives" thread in the older generation forum. I just updated that thread, but decided that was silly and started a new one here to document my work.

 

Finally uploaded some photos/video. These were taken about two months ago, and since then I haven't had a chance to work on the car because of work.

 

But, for starters, here's a video of it running! (Super rich thanks to that goofy SU)

 

 

And now for the photos.

 

^Current hiding place/storage. In the process of moving so just being stored at a friends place for now.

^Rats nest under dash has been cleaned up. Surprisingly the stock harness wasn't hacked into, just a ton more wires were added for various experiments over the years.

^Before cleaning up under hood. Removed the remains of what appeared to be a primitive DAQ system, don't really know what it logged (except fuel pressure/flow), but I saved it as I don't throw anything away.

^The casuse of most of my problems. The SU Carb, apparently it came stock on MG's for a few years. It's flooding out the engine constantly whenever throttle is applied. And the flooding appears to be coming from the choke enrichment circuit. Due to lack of parts/knowledge available for this carb, I would much prefer to swap to a Weber or Holley. Also open to any suggestions in this department, as I'm sure someone has turbo'd an EA81 before.

^Cracked water jacket on top of engine

^Sealed with JB Weld. First the crack was cut into a "V" that extends past both ends, then thoroughly cleaned and sealed. I know a lot of people think of JB Weld as a non structural "quick fix," as I used to be one of them. But while at school (composites engineering) I did a lot of epoxy testing, and surprisingly JB Weld held up great (sometimes even better) in heat/strength testing than lots of more expensive products. As I didn't have access to a TIG welder, this will do. There is a crack on the water jacket of the R cyl head, but that will be welded.

 

And as always, looking for a driver/parts car '80s GL Hatch! I'd like to replace QS's hood/front fenders/front valence as they are all tweaked and in poor shape. And pretty much every body panel has been dented over the years (storage was not kind) so those will be replaced at some point. Also, the doors are rusted out like most every old GL. And it's missing a ton of little interior bits/exterior trim, etc.

 

Feedback/advice is welcome!

[TOsborn]

Any carb recomendations out there? Probably going to go with a sidedraft Weber, as it would help with packaging. My dad has a ton of experience with Holley's, but the downdraft setup would make plumbing difficult.

 

Plan for carb choice is to figure out max CFM of turbo, and then size a carb that can handle that. Sort of hard finding a chart/data for the turbo, IHI RHB6. Going to contact company for info on it.

[TOONGA]

A zenith stromberg CD175 would work in place of the SU, but failing that a weber, mikuni or dilloretto work work as well. (all side drafts)

 

A weber 32/36 could be used on a custom manifold, that could be set up in the spare wheel well.

 

Does the SU have oil in the top where the black lid is?

 

It needs thin oil (machine oil or transmission oil) in there to make it work properly.

 

good to see this being worked on

 

TOONGA

[TOsborn]

When I first looked into the top it did not have any oil, but after learning about the carb I did add the correct amount of thin oil to the top, and nothing really changed.

[TOONGA]

Ok then I would say the needle is worn, and that the carb itself is in need of a rebuild after sitting for so long. you are beter off going with something that is easier to maintain.

 

not sure if you have seen this page

 

http://www.smbaker.com/sand-rail/manx/monster-turbocharged-volkswagen-manx

 

It may give you an idea of how you could make a manifold for a downdraft carby.

 

TOONGA

[wallaby]

the SU should work fine - just have to find someone who knows about them..

i had triple SU's on a 6 cylinder holden torana back in OZ, the thing outran

v8's all the time. i never learn't about the SU's but knew a guy who did, tuning is the key but it would be much easier with just 1.

might just be less trouble to replace it with something more mainstream if you can't find someone.... or learn yourself, that would be fun

[TOsborn]

More exciting discoveries tonight!

 

I pulled the drivers side cylinder head, as it had a crack in the water jacket (I am dropping it off at a professional welder for the repair). I found SBC roller rockers! And possibly SBC valve springs. Also, many various hand machined spacers and such. And finally, the head has some crazy porting going on, the welds on which are what failed, I'm guessing when the coolant froze. I have photos of all and I'll try and get them up tomorrow.

[TOsborn]

Photos, as promised.

 

Beginning, removing AC compressor and all that. Compressor seems to be in good shape, plan on keeping it.

Surprise

Crane, SBC roller rockers.

Valve cover spacer, so rockers will fit.

Custom rocker mount plate, sits behind spacer on top of head

 

And here's where it got really interesting:

Two welds, one of which is cracked. It appears they cut out the water jacket, welded a large amount of material around the exhasut port, ported it, and then welded the water jacket back on. Lots of work, seems like with a turbo that might not be as helpful as it would be with NA.

More detail

And, definately not stock valve springs. My dad seemed to think that they might be SBC as well. And knowing how Doc Seal seems to have a particular like of SBC parts in projects, I wouldn't doubt it.

And more of the head. The intake has been ported as well. I'll try and get better photos of the in head porting next time, as these didn't show that well.

 

Once the water jacket is welded up and everything is put back together, next step is the carb! Everything went very smoothly in the tear down, and most everything shows very minimal wear, leading me to believe this was a NOS engine they put these parts on, and then never really ran it.

 

Also, looking for a drivers side mirror for QS, and a passenger side front turn signal lens if anybody has one laying around. There are a ton more bits it's missing, but going to start with these two!

[Crazyeights]

Subscribed!

 

Thanks for the pics and details.

[bratman18]

Would this mirror work for you?

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=133338

[Idasho]

interesting history, thats for sure.

 

Good luck with this project. That motor looks to be a bit of a basket-case

 

Ill be watching this thread

[carfreak85]

Boy, you really didn't do any reasearch on the old thread, or at the VRi about this car before buying it did you?

 

The engine is NOT NOS... The short block is original to the chassis, AFAIK, circa 2004. I don't remember anything about the cracked block, but we never had it running well enough to diagnose much.

 

Those heads were found in the "Stupid Storage" at WWU and were never original to QS. If you're going for originality, pull them. Being that they are a student's project, I would be dubious as to their strength and longevity. A nice shelf/conversation piece, but that is about it.

 

Also, that turbo will need a rebuild. It is DUMPING oil into the engine and was smoking out the exhaust something fierce when we did have it on the road.

 

That "data aquisition" box on the fire wall is from Arkay Turbos, it is a detination control box, if memory serves me.

 

The engine is NOT NOS... The short block is original to the chassis, AFAIK, circa 2004.

 

You should go back and read some of the articles about this car before you dig any deeper. Some of the parts are one offs (seats, sunroof, heads, fuel, etc.) and will be impossible to replace if you can't save them.

 

BTW "quatro" has two Ts, as in Quattro San.

Edited October 7, 2012 by carfreak85

[TOsborn]

^Thanks for the info, and for presenting it in a very impolite manner.

 

The old threads were quite jumbled, and I don't do much research on forums, as why would I believe anything I read on the internet when its put up as "AFAIK." And I didn't just go blindly out and purchase this car. In fact I've been poring over it for the past four years, asking the right people the right questions, and followed it throughout the surplus process. Apparently nobody else thought it was worth $250, so I purchased it.

 

From the brief driving I have done with the car, the turbo was not dumping oil anywhere, or smoking (except from leaky fittings, which have been repaired already). More driving will tell.

 

Curiously, why did you swap heads with student project heads from stoopid? Especially if your concerned about the quality of the work? Also, since the modifications were made to the water jacket I am not to concerned about their structural integrity, but only driving and proper tuning will prove that. And if they explode, it won't be too hard to put different heads on.

 

If the last people to work on the car had prepared it for outside storage properly, I wouldn't be dealing with a block/heads cracked in multiple places from freezing...

 

If people were concerned about passing on the history of the car, it would have been written down in an organized manner. That's not the case for most VRI cars, so there is a ton of speculation for any of them. I'm learning about the car as I dig into it, as that's pretty much the only way you can tell for sure what has been done to it. Either way, you can't argue that the attention it is finally receiving will be beneficial for the car.

Edited October 7, 2012 by TOsborn

[TOsborn]

Back from the dead, returns the thread.

 

The car was moved last night from it's deep storage in Oly up to my house in Lakewood. Work will begin again soon (after my Yamaha motorcycle project is finished). Until then it'll continue to be stored safely.

[TOsborn]

Update again, as this weekend the ball will begin rolling.  I've been waiting to randomly come across parts for this, and that finally happened thanks to an '82 GL wagon at the pick n pull.  Already bought a few parts off it (pass fender, turn signal lenses, some interior, rearview mirrors, etc), returning for other front fender/cowling/hood/skidplate/and more interior bits.

 

Since my garage in Everett will then be packed with parts, I'll be trucking them all down to Tacoma this weekend to mount them all to QS.  The whole front end should look real spiffy afterward!

 

Also, if anyone has any info on this car I'm all ears.  After tearing into the car, it definitely has many unique modifications, but nothing that is completely groundbreaking.  Since it has a...well "clouded" history, I'd like to help put myths to rest and present facts on the car.  I've heard tons of rumors, everything from "super rare factory sunroof," "super rare JDM seats," "it's a JDM import car," "car and driver test car that was then donated to the school," "jackie chan drove it," etc.  I can reasonably say this is not Jackie Chan's movie car, but everything else is still up in the air, as this car has basically zero documentation. 

 

Also, my overall goal is still to turn this into a unique and kick butt daily driver.  That's still a long way down the road, but at least the project is moving again.

 

And parts donations (I can gladly trade beer or pay reasonable cash) are always accepted, like I need both doors (mine are rotted to heck), and a hatch (also rotted to heck on QS).  The fenders/hood/cowling from the yard will help a ton, as the ones on QS show the neglect that can only be caused by 20 or so years of college kids beating on a car!

[TOsborn]

 

^Leaving the storage area.  Other than some new mouse poop under the hood, storage has been pretty nice to the car.

 

 

^Have to admit at this point it kind of looks like a giant pile of poo.  

 

 

^And tonights progress.  Did a lot of cleaning, fixed the hood hinges, and hung some panels for inspiration.  Tomorrow going to roll the car back outside for a deep clean, then hang the new front end panels/plastic back on, re-do interior with junkyard replacement bits, finish removing A/C system from car, and decide next step for the cylinder hear repair (probably take to a machine shop).

 

 

^Engine as currently sits.  I can't wait to work on this darn thing, no timing belts, no OHC, no blasted timing belt covers covering water pump, it looks like heaven!

[tincan]

Despite the lack of factual documentation, or the rumors of this car, it's amazing even the way it is.

 

Don't give up. It'll be one of a kind when it's finished.

[SkankinPickle]

O  M  G !!!!!!!!      I can't believe you got this...    

"Dr.RX" (who lives down the street from me) tried to buy this thing over five years ago, and pretty sure Carfreak85 did too while he was going to school there. 

I remember Corky (Dr.RX) saying there was an issue with how the car was registered and that it might be complicated to transfer the title. It used to have special license plates on it, and if you reg it as a classic car, you can input the original plates from the school into the DOL system and run them legally.  

I don't think Mr. Chan actually drove QS, but there "MIGHT" be a very small chance that he did. It was lost on a old hard drive, but I used to have a pic of the black Cannon Ball Run hatch and QS together in a shop. (it also had a white Brat in the pic that had a giant orange hood scoop) Dr.RX posted some pics after he came back from talking with Doc Seal about the origin of the car. 

 

The sun roof is definitely aftermarket, and the seats from the looks of it, were reupholstered because someone didn't think plaid was bad arse enough for a race car.   The front spoiler was an aftermarket accessory for another car from the 80s ( I think it was a camero).

 

*[There is a thread about EA-81 front air dams circa 2004-5 and talks about this front spoiler--someone also posted a link from ebay with a two-tone silver and blue Brat that had the same spoiler.. None of us were able to find the company that produced the rear spoiler though.]

 

I never knew that the car was originally "Harvest Beige"      Good job getting the same factory color on the replacement parts:)

 

 

Oh, and the car originally had a rear spoiler too:  (This is the only know photo of it)

Edited August 4, 2013 by SkankinPickle

[TOsborn]

Thanks for more info and the photo!

As far as title, since it was sold through state surplus I was issued title application paperwork, as it was never titled before. My title states that I am the first owner of the car. The dol people were quite confused!  I tried to get the original plates to keep with the car, but unfortunately rules of surplus auction state that the original plates had to be kept/destroyed/something, either way they wouldn't let me have them.

The spoiler is going to test my composte repair skills, glad to hear it may be from a camaro as a possible backup.

I bugged VRI faculty for years about this car, as I gave four years of my life to that shop and watched QS decay over that time. On a shop purge they finally found the paperwork and put it up for public auction, no one bid against me so here it is!

Edited August 11, 2013 by TOsborn

[TOsborn]

 

^In the middle of deep clean.  Found a bit more rust in the body, but nothing that's not fixable.

 

 

^Back together!

 

 

^Junkyard interior bits mostly swapped in.  Looks better, but nowhere near nice.

 

 

^Mirrors from the yard really helped clean up the outside.  Looking better...

 

 

^Yesterday's find for QS:  Holley 670.  Going to give this a shot!

Edited August 4, 2013 by TOsborn

[1982gl4]

Very cool project, glad to see it went to a good home. I'll be keeping an eye on this build from here on out! 

[TOsborn]

Worst of the rust (that I've found so far).  Both doors don't have much actual metal holding them together down low.

 

[O.C.D.]

Wow she is a rough one.......

 

Are you gonna do it all "right" so to speak and remove all rust and replace panels etc? 

[silverhelme]

 

^In the middle of deep clean.  Found a bit more rust in the body, but nothing that's not fixable.

 

 

^Back together!

 

 

^Junkyard interior bits mostly swapped in.  Looks better, but nowhere near nice.

 

 

^Mirrors from the yard really helped clean up the outside.  Looking better...

 

 

^Yesterday's find for QS:  Holley 670.  Going to give this a shot!

A 670 will probably make the poor EA81 fall flat on it's manifold even boosted. You probably want to try this http://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/holley/part-type/carburetors/number-of-barrels/4/carburetor-flange/square-bore/cfm/390 or maybe a 450 cfm.

[TOsborn]

The 670 is pretty large, but it was cheap and looks like it'll be a good learning experience if nothing else (and I have a supply of Holley jets/parts already). The only other carb I found at the yard that might work was a downdraft Weber on a 'builder' vehicle, so I went with this one. If it doesn't work on QS, it'll go on my truck just fine. Plus a Holley goes hand in hand with the SBC valve parts!

I eventually plan on a full resto (fresh paint etc), but immediate plans are getting it driving, and then fixing rust. New doors will help a ton, and the rest of the rust is limited to rocker areas which is an easy fix.  

Edited August 6, 2013 by TOsborn