mellow65 Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 As some may know I have a 93 loyale wagon that I just love, other then the hesitation demon that i just recently fixed its a great rig. I bought a 83 GL wagon that had a duel range 5 speed swapped and some other goodies done to it like a lift, a webber carb and some other stuff. My plan was to part out the 83 keep the dual range and put that in my loyale. But here's my thing, i think i have really fallen for the 83. Sure it's rough around the edges and kind of smells inside, but it's drive train is great. The motor runs great. No leaks, no smoke, (and with a missing cat you would know). I know quite a bit about the EA82s but have never messed with the EA81s. Are they as good as the ea82s. Sure I understand it's got some less horsepower, but who cares I'm not out to win any land speed records. And if I'm not mistaken they are a gear driven cam so no broken timing belts. What else should I know about them? Are they as prone to head gaskets going as the ea82s? Any info would be great. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washakie Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 I'm no expert as you can learn from looking at my other posts... but, I'm currently an owner for my second '83 wagon. My old one was a 2wd, 5sp that was amazing. I put 44,000 miles on it (from 73k to 117k) in one year. Sadly in the next month I hit a deer doing about 70 on I-91 in the winter in VT. I rolled her three times! My dog and I walked away without a scratch. So, for highway driving, the rig is great, safe, and I never felt too underpowered (except the one time I was in Montana and I was TRYING to get a speeding ticket... ) As for my new ride, it's a 83 dl 4sp, 4wd. I acquired from a good friend, and I knew it's history well. I drove the hell out if it from 195k to 205k. Now I've just put in a new motor due to headgaskets. But at 205k for a vehicle that provided support to many an Arizona river trip (i.e. rafts on top, gear in the back = HEAVY) down hot, dusty, and LONG 4wd roads, I think it's proved itself. I'm hoping for another 200k out of the new motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Treat the EA81 right and it will last nearly forever. Make sure it has plenty of clean oil and a decent cooling system. Gear driven cam, pushrods, solid as a rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 The EA81 seems to be a little more forgiving about overheating than the EA82, and there is simply less stuff to fail. At 197k, I just took mine out of service due to the previous owner's lack of maintenance. Still ran smoothly, but burned oil, and was starting to loose power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 I swear by them. I tend to swear AT the EA82's a lot more. Drop the SPFI on the EA81, add power steering if you don't have it, put in a 5 speed D/R, rear discs bolt on.... They are less complex machines - no vacuum diaphram system for the heat controls, much studier radiator/cooling system, less prone to head gasket failure, no timing belts. Water pump and oil pump are both easily changed in 15 minutes, and the front main seal is right under the pulley. What's not to like? I had a DL I got from the orignal owner - 316k on it then - now it's got 370 somthing. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted November 26, 2006 Author Share Posted November 26, 2006 I think I saw your write up on the SPFI swap on the EA81. I can't say I am much for wiring other then the little stuff. Well then again, I have never taken on anything like that. It's got a webber on it right now and for the most part someone ripped out the whole emissions set up on it so it's pretty bare under the hood. This one has power steering, someone swapped rear discs already and I think they did a EA82 rear sping set up on it. It's got a decent rake on it from the springs on the back. Someone already swapped the 5 speed DR in also. I don't think I would be afraid to try the swap. I am going to try and get a part time job at U-pull it off of foster because I have to get a job to finish up my degree in automotive repair. And I can only imagine the discounts someone that works there gets. And I see you are a portland guy, maybe I could buy some of you time with some beer or something but I don't know how amped you would feel about doing another swap. At least the nice part about helping other people with there projects you can always go home in your running car. I swear by them. I tend to swear AT the EA82's a lot more. Drop the SPFI on the EA81, add power steering if you don't have it, put in a 5 speed D/R, rear discs bolt on.... They are less complex machines - no vacuum diaphram system for the heat controls, much studier radiator/cooling system, less prone to head gasket failure, no timing belts. Water pump and oil pump are both easily changed in 15 minutes, and the front main seal is right under the pulley. What's not to like? I had a DL I got from the orignal owner - 316k on it then - now it's got 370 somthing. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Sure - if you want to do a swap on it, I don't mind helping out. It's not all that hard really. Foster u-pull-it eh? That would be sweet I'm sure. I could use an "inside man". Hehe. Someone put coil-overs in the back? That's would give it like 3-4" of lift. That's how the rear lift is done on my wagon..... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 I stand by my EA-81 to hell and back. Treat it like its' your first born child and it will treat you the same. They are only as good as you treat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 toughest engine ever built the only downfall is the carb, but you have a 93 loyale parts car to spfi it:grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted November 27, 2006 Author Share Posted November 27, 2006 toughest engine ever built the only downfall is the carb, but you have a 93 loyale parts car to spfi it:grin: Not a 93 parts car, just a really clean wagon that I was going to lift and play around with. But I bought this old wagon that had a bunch of stuff done to it like a lift and 5 speed DR swap. And I guess it has a newer motor in it (what the guy said). But i have to say it is one of the smoothest running old suby I have ever heard. And I have never been a fan of carbs, but I have been talking to GD about fixing that problem. So we shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burtonsnowman Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Mine's got over a quarter of a million miles on 'er and she runs like a top - rain or shine...in snow, sleet, hail, torrential downpours and the like...I drive her 104 miles every weekday and another 160 on the weekends. The thing won't die. It starts in the cold and the hot...It's an awesome engine. Sure it's gutless as all get-out and the carb pretty much sucks, but I wouldn't trade it for the world... Keep the EA81! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted November 27, 2006 Author Share Posted November 27, 2006 Mine's got over a quarter of a million miles on 'er and she runs like a top - rain or shine...in snow, sleet, hail, torrential downpours and the like...I drive her 104 miles every weekday and another 160 on the weekends. The thing won't die. It starts in the cold and the hot...It's an awesome engine. Sure it's gutless as all get-out and the carb pretty much sucks, but I wouldn't trade it for the world... Keep the EA81! that seems to be the main thought about these guys. i got a webber on this one right now so it a little less gut less but still gut less none the less i would love to go to the spfi. I never really knew that the spfi swap was so easy. i always loved the ea81s more then the ea82s but have a hatred for carbs. One of my dream cars growing up was an ea81 hatch. maybe now i can full fill that dream. I just put my AA rims on it just to see what she would look like, the wheels are the cleanest thing on it, but it sucks the back wheels rub the ea82 shocks and springs so i might just have to go back to the normal shock and figure out how this rear suspention works. I think they are a torsion bar set up. but here's a picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Sweet..yeah i love the EA81..this is my second and i would def buy another down the road if i could find one with a body that was in decent shape. I just got lucky with this one having only 52,000 miles when i got it. The only thing that i will never do is get another EA81 with an automatic. Im currently in the process of swapping my auto out for a 2wd 5 speed. Should be a little quicker after that. And by the way..600 posts now:grin::grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Welllll....... My EA82 SPFI sure runs nice, and more power than my EA81's (though the 2wd EA81's are surprisingly peppy). But I like the design of the EA81's better. Simple and run forever if you just keep oil in them, except for the darned carbureators. An SPFI EA81 would be pretty sweet -- I never realized it was that easy either. Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 yeah, that ea81 of yours looks clean, not much rust, not major body damage. part out the loyale or drop an ej into it, the ea81 will run a very long time even if you dont do any of the proper maintenance on it, you can overheat it till you dont have enough power to even move 5mph and you wont blow headgaskets on it. The only real important part of the engine to replace and make sure is in good condition is the oilpump, otherwise you'll probably lose your rod bearings anywhere between 175k-250k+. Especially if the ea81 already has the 5speed, the 83-84 4 speed was the real weak link of the ea81s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 yeah, that ea81 of yours looks clean, not much rust, not major body damage. part out the loyale or drop an ej into it, the ea81 will run a very long time even if you dont do any of the proper maintenance on it, you can overheat it till you dont have enough power to even move 5mph and you wont blow headgaskets on it. The only real important part of the engine to replace and make sure is in good condition is the oilpump, otherwise you'll probably lose your rod bearings anywhere between 175k-250k+. Especially if the ea81 already has the 5speed, the 83-84 4 speed was the real weak link of the ea81s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy D Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 i love the ea81s...... if u need any proof of the ea81's relyability...ask nv zeno....his has about 306k and evrythings original except fer like an airfilter or somethin:banana: please please dont part ur ea81...they are starting to get fewer and fewer everyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 not looking to part out the loyale i might sell it though. I was wanting to build a decent 4x4 rig. I ended up with both and the loyale is almost to clean to mess with. the ea81 is already rough around the edges but runs like a champ. So I have been toying with the keeping the ea81. But so far no one has said anything bad about them so I may just plan on keeping it. Just need to fix the rubbing tires on the back. And to be honest the ea82 springs on the back lift it so high that the back wheels have some bad camber. you know like when you lifted the old swing axle bugs, the outside of the wheels that were on it were worn pretty bad. so I am going to mess around with it here soon. and no 4 speed here, 5 speed DR baby, oh yeah yeah, that ea81 of yours looks clean, not much rust, not major body damage. part out the loyale or drop an ej into it, the ea81 will run a very long time even if you dont do any of the proper maintenance on it, you can overheat it till you dont have enough power to even move 5mph and you wont blow headgaskets on it. The only real important part of the engine to replace and make sure is in good condition is the oilpump, otherwise you'll probably lose your rod bearings anywhere between 175k-250k+. Especially if the ea81 already has the 5speed, the 83-84 4 speed was the real weak link of the ea81s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 The wacky camber in the rear doesn't hurt anything really - as much as it looks weird, it's not a problem because the rears aren't steerable wheels. Bad camber on the front is not good on the tires, but the rear isn't a problem. Get some chevy rims - wider offset, won't rub, and will handle better without the sway bar. Like this . Seriously dude - you have to drop by - I have toys...... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 The wacky camber in the rear doesn't hurt anything really - as much as it looks weird, it's not a problem because the rears aren't steerable wheels. Bad camber on the front is not good on the tires, but the rear isn't a problem. Get some chevy rims - wider offset, won't rub, and will handle better without the sway bar. GD but damn then i would need to get rid of my WAY cool AA rims. well i guess I could always put them up for sale, i got a deal on the close outs im sure someone would want the same deal. So who wants them, 4 black AA rims 5 White AA rims hey you never answered me about an auto spfi car either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 hey you never answered me about an auto spfi car either. Oh - yeah I'll do that now. The AA rims are fine, but simply not neccesary with chev 6 lug rims availible for $27 each brand new. At least that was my feelings. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldDiggerRoo Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 I swear by them. I tend to swear AT the EA82's a lot more. GD Exactly. I was a big V8 hotrod cat when I got my first EA81, a that car initally belonged to my mom, it made me a believer in Subaru and more so in the EA81; I drove that car for 3 long years and a hard 50k+ miles with only one oil change. I went thru 4 axels and two clutches (centers broke out of them) in that time span. The car never smoked or burnt oil, I would still have it today if it hadn't suffered electrical failure, but I guess that's what sitting in the snow with no hood will do (not my fault). I ragged that car hard, since then I've had lots more EA81s and have rarely had a problem (I do treat them a little better now), I've also had 2 EA82 cars, first one broke within 3 days of buying it and my current wagon has had a myriad of problems. I would own another, but I will never buy another EA82. For reliability and ease of working on, the EA81 is hard to beat and the EA71 is even better. Go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 with chev 6 lug rims availible for $27 each brand new. At least that was my feelings. GD :eek: where do i get these magical cheap rims hook a brother up. i could never find a set of any 6 lug rims, it was always one or two and then i could never find matching ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 :eek: where do i get these magical cheap rims hook a brother up. i could never find a set of any 6 lug rims, it was always one or two and then i could never find matching ones Um - you try a tire store? Mine were $25 each brand new from Tire Factory in Beaverton. That was a few years ago, but they are just white spoke "trailer" rims in chevy 6x5.5". I think normal price is around $27 to $30 each, but I got a deal and I bought 4 tires to go with em so.... yeah. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 Um - you try a tire store? Mine were $25 each brand new from Tire Factory in Beaverton. That was a few years ago, but they are just white spoke "trailer" rims in chevy 6x5.5". I think normal price is around $27 to $30 each, but I got a deal and I bought 4 tires to go with em so.... yeah. GD Oooooh yeah good call. i always was looking used, never really thought to go new I always figured they would be really expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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