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My '83 GL: The Ski Wagon


TheLoyale
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Yeah, I need a header for the EA81, I'd go with an EA82 header so I can eliminate those blocks on the bottom of the heads (As one is stripped out)

 

I need something until I build my UEL header.

 

I wonder what shipped would run on that?

 

is that really the case with those blocks?

 

If you remove them you need a EA82 y-pipe? Does the EA81 y-pipe have clearance issues?

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I found this post useful in your build thread. Although, I am wondering what my shop is gonna do for a step. Most likely they would just look up the specs, right? But as you mentioned, a different step can/will give you more clamping force. So since I am running all stock EA81 4WD clutch components, what step should I go with? Let them figure it out, or tell them I need this step.

 

Would .815 work on mine, or does this only apply for an EA82 clutch?

 

Any half-way decent machine shop can do this, provided they have an actual flywheel machine. A standard blanchard grinder wont do it.

 

They clean it prior to machining, this saves wear and tear on their machines. Then it is washed again afterwards.

 

The flywheel face was surfaced, then the step was machined to my specifications. I went with .815 for the higher clamping load, and the EA82 clutch.

 

Total cost was about $60

 

In machine shop jargon, just tell them you need the flywheel "turned" and the step machined to whatever depth you need. There are a few numbers floating around on the forum for different applications, as Subaru used a few different clamp loads for various EA81 and EA82 models.

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If you have a 4-1/2" angle grinder, use a cut-off wheel on it and cut the boltheads off. You can then slide the spacer blocks off the studs, then remove the studs with visegrips.

 

And yeah, if you remove the blocks on an EA81, you need to use an EA82 y-pipe to clear the front crossmember.

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I may do that as a last ditch effort, cutting looks like a little more work, as you can only get to the two outer most bolt heads. I would have to hack up the spacer block in order to get at the other two.

 

I would give the torx bits a try if I had more than $1.97 in my bank. :-p

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I found this post useful in your build thread. Although, I am wondering what my shop is gonna do for a step. Most likely they would just look up the specs, right? But as you mentioned, a different step can/will give you more clamping force. So since I am running all stock EA81 4WD clutch components, what step should I go with? Let them figure it out, or tell them I need this step.

 

Would .815 work on mine, or does this only apply for an EA82 clutch?

 

.815 is only for the turbo EA82 from what I recall.

 

Youll have to do some digging, but I believe the non-turbo EA81 4x4 spec's .900" for a step.

 

And yes, a good shop will be able to tell you what the specified step is, based upon make and model.

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Yeah, I need a header for the EA81, I'd go with an EA82 header so I can eliminate those blocks on the bottom of the heads (As one is stripped out)

 

I need something until I build my UEL header.

 

I wonder what shipped would run on that?

 

You can eliminate those blocks? Hmm, I'll have to crawl under my car and look at that. I have the car Bratman is talking about swapping an ea81 into.

From what I recall from being under there dicking with it, the flange bolts for the blocks are 90deg off the bolts for the header. They couldn't be in the same place, otherwise the header studs would have to be really long, and the blocks would come off with the header.

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Interesting. While rounding up parts for my motor swap, I asked my parts guy at subaru about those blocks.

 

Not all EA81s came with them. Only ones that meet "49-state" emissions.

 

He also said that the heads for both were the same part numbers, as were the y-pipes.

 

You SURE you cannot run a EA81 y-pipe without them?

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If you were to remove the thickness of that block, I'm pretty sure the header would hit the crossmember or something to that effect. The EA82 header is indeed longer (Has more down pipe before the 90* bend)

 

If you look at the gap you currently have with the blocks, there isn't much space, think about the motor when it twists from torque, there may be no room for movement.

 

If I can get my blocks off, I'd see if the header fits! I'll take pics of it, if I get them off.

Edited by TheLoyale
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I never did mention earlier, when I removed the oil pan. I found two small black plastic rings (About the diameter of a pen) I am thinking they were once rubber orings, but for what? Why were they in the oil pan, and what are they for? I noticed no issues while driving though. Also found some chunks of other matter in the oil pan, like something chunked away. Luckily it was stuck to the oil pick-up screen.

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Pretty sure the EA81 y-pipe will hit the crossmember before you can get the flange mount fully tightened. Haven't really tried to fit one without the blocks though..

 

Wondering if those o-ring looking pieces could be from the valve cover grommets.

The tip that fits inside of the cover could have broke off at some time, and fallen into the oil return area of the head(s) during an earlier removale of the covers. Oil flow would wash them into the oilpan.

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Pretty sure the EA81 y-pipe will hit the crossmember before you can get the flange mount fully tightened. Haven't really tried to fit one without the blocks though..

 

 

 

It does, I had to modify my y pipe after swapping engines out earlier this summer. Then engine I put in had the blocks removed when i installed it in my brat a few years ago. It made quite a racket on the way into work being not fully attached to the engine....

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the ea82 y-pipe is even mounted, and would bolt right up to an ea81 either with both exhaust blocks, or no blocks...

 

EA81's varied over the years, from no blocks, to 1 block, to 2 blocks... so any ea81 y-pipe that was made for the 1 block engine will not bolt up to the 0 or 2 block engines....

 

as far as the blocks being rotted, I've never seen one rotted, even on some of the rusty stuff I've had. they look that way because they are cast iron or maybe cast steel... I've had decent luck, tapping threads into the spacer, and running larger exhaust studs... much easier that trying to remove them usually, as the heads of the torx bolts are rusted to the spacer hard... I used an impact and could not remove them from the engine I put in Guido...

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Tom, thats a good thought on the o-rings. That is possible. I don't remember what the original grommets looked like when I removed them.

 

Mick, I'm gonna try my damnedest to remove them. As I do not want them when I make my custom header, want a nice thick flange bolts straight to the block. We'll see what happens when I get some money lol.

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