EA81 build for my 82 Brat

[subarubrat]

I bought the rust free BRAT out of CA a few months ago and while it ran good it would (as most EA81s do) run out of steam on the upper end thanks to the terrible carb. My plan was to do a weber swap until I had some more time to spare and do a nice build. I installed the weber and decided to clean up the brackets and in doing to an intake bolt snapped off, since that might leak I knew I had to extract it and having to extract it meant risking more bolts breaking off so I decided to just go ahead and pull the engine and do the build. The engine had 223k on the clock and it was greasy on the outside but clean and within specs/clearances on the inside.

 

 

Cleanup after hot tanking was really helped by a soda blaster I picked up at harbor freight of all places. It is like having a magic eraser to get you back to factory fresh aluminum. After hunting around a bit for a hydro cam to regrind into a solid lifter cam and an EA82 intake manifold I am now into the re-assembly. 

 

Build is:

 

30 off the heads and port/polish

EA82 SPFI pistons

Delta torque grind cam

EA82 intake manifold

Weber carb

New valves / rod + main bearings

Emissions delete / EGR / aux air etc.

Felpro permatorque head gaskets / OEM gaskets elsewhere

New distributor / wires / plugs

New alternator

New fasteners (all other than head studs)

New water pump / thermostat

Repaint the tin

 

 

 

 

I will get some more pics posted soon, the heads and covers are on now, oil pan too. I hope to finish by next week time permitting. Then I think I will drive the truck until the road salt starts then it goes off to the paint shop.

[subarubrat]

This is how it sits now, just need to do the PCV plumbing and filter, distributor, and a few minor odds and ends before installing. The truck is headed off to the paint shop next week to get showroom fresh, I decided to have them do the engine bay as well so I am gutting that totally and will lay in a new hidden harness, there is so little left anyway once you de-emissions the truck that it makes no real difference to go all the way.

 

The one thing I am torn on, is should I use the stock air cleaner and re-install the spare so that at first glance it looks all stock, or go with the bare look and the aircleaner that comes with the weber. I change my mind about twice a day.

 

Edited October 4, 2014 by subarubrat

[bratman18]

Pics of the brat too! Start a members journal.

[subarubrat]

I need to do that, it has a very interesting history. The original owner bought it in 82 and his brother bought one as well. In 89 they both had a shop do a lift, roll bar, bumpers, skid plate, and some very interesting wheels that are copies of the OEM wheels but done in 14in. His brother's Brat was destroyed in the early 90's. I had my original 86 Brat in 89 and back then it was conventional wisdom that it was not possible to lift a Brat, I had no idea that anyone had done a lift that early on. The first lift I recall seeing was in the late 90's when this stuff hit the web. The work was nicely done and the lift is a somewhat different approach with the strut tops remaining in their stock positions and the bottom of the strut being extended, it also has travel limiting straps and type III VW CV joints.

Edited October 4, 2014 by subarubrat

[coxy]

Considering the problems many have had with CV Joints on vehicles lifted too much more detail on the VW CV conversion should be interesting reading Pics please.

[bratman2]

Sounds like a really nice build. Love to see the pictures when completed! I would run the Weber open house filter myself. Save the stock and mount if you intend to ever show it.

[subarubrat]

Considering the problems many have had with CV Joints on vehicles lifted too much more detail on the VW CV conversion should be interesting reading Pics please.

 

I will try to snap some pics of the CV's tonight when I get home, maybe somebody more VW savvy than I can identify the exact components combined with the Subaru components. There are allot of nice custom bits on the truck, the front and rear bumpers are modded so that the tube bumpers mount through them and connect to the frame, super nice work. It also has integrated front and rear skid plates, and a factory high roll bar. Once it comes home from the paint shop and I get the engine back in I will put it up on the lift and post a ton of pics of the work that was done back in the day. I am sending the bumpers, roll bar, and wheels off for powder coating while the truck is in the body shop.

 

Now, if I can just find an OEM winch, NOS front fender badges, and NOS tail gate badges..... And if anyone has a line on headers that would be helpful, I loosely recall somebody making them a few years ago for EA81s but I didn't need a set at the time.

[tweety]

good thread.

 

Am having my ea81 rebuilt now. You mentioned the weber conversion. I'm opting for the 38/38 synchronic carb. I'm using the SPFI manifold with 9.5:1 CR and torquey cam.

Now a lot of people believe the 38 is too large a carbie for the ea series. Not so. It all depends on jetting. It will certainly improve low rev torque at the cost of a bit more fuel.

 

If it doesnt work well the 32/36 can be bolted on in its place with little alterations.

[bratman18]

Sounds awesome. And really rare to have a nice old subaru on this coast. Keep it oiled and clean!

[jono]

too late for pics of the EA82 spfi pistons ? tops, measures from pin to top when they were out? new? You must be able to dscribe the piston tops ? Not flat top?

 

One set of depression that look to clear valves, and at an angle, and no other deprtesion, or two separate depression 'sets' or shapes?

[subarubrat]

I have some pics that I can post soon, they show the piston tops which do have valve reliefs in them.

[subarubrat]

Here is a view of the pistons;