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XTV8 build!


subarubrat
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Its time for a new project! Pics to follow soon.

 

 

This week I bought an 89 XT6 out of Washington state and am getting it shipped to my place in VA. I have had two in the past and I thought about replicating the build I did in the 90's with a turbo'd EG33 swap but I decided to go a bit more exotic with a V8 swap. I liked the idea of staying with Subaru for the power plant but the practical HP limit is lower than I want for this project. I looked at two engines initially, the V10 out of the BMW M5 and an LSA based build and the LS quickly won out as being much more practical and offering more power for less effort and money. I am shooting for around 1,200Hp which is easy to do and the whole car is going to see work to support that power.

 

So here is my roadmap:

 

Driveline: LSA 6.2L supercharged - TR3160 6pd trans - G35 rear diff - 350z based rear axles and hubs

 

Brakes: Brembo STi all around

 

Front suspension: Custom crossmember - current gen Impreza based coil-overs

 

Rear suspension: Custom rear subframe for G35 diff and current gen Impreza suspension with about 10 inch wider track width

 

Wheels/tires: F: 225/40R18  R: 315/35/R18

 

Body: 6inch flare at rear wheel wells, front splitter, rear diffuser, side skirts, ground hugging ride height. I am still brainstorming this bit in terms of wing or not and other changes.

 

THINGS I NEED!!!!!!!

Help! If you happen to have any of these parts please PM me.

-Digital dash

-Dash surround bezel

-Shop manual

Edited by subarubrat
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http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/165403-free-you-deal-w-shipping-xt6-wheelstires-seats-dashboard/

I must have thought that he had the gauges too for some reason.

Would you be able to wire up that digital dash to your ls swap?

For god sake no body mods except maybe tasteful flares to fit wide tires,simply dropping her a couple of inches would look sweet

That car would be sleeper as hell, smashing porcshes and corvettes.

Edited by sparkyboy
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Well well look who it is, good to see ya again!

 

How about a Dropbox link to a digital XT6 FSM? PM or email me and I’ll get that to you. I may have a stereo surround bezel. I’ve got a few but uncertain of condition. Maybe on the digital dash as well. Typically requires an XT turbo fuel sender for it to work properly as well.

 

By dash bezel he probably means the stereo surround and not the entire dash nor instrument cluster surround. Jeff doesn’t have a stereo surround listed.

Edited by idosubaru
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Awesome on the FSM link, PM sent and thanks!

 

The bezel I need is the one around the instrument panel itself, not the stereo. The one on this car is broken off. I will post a pic when I am home tomorrow.

 

I need to get my hands on the dash to see exactly how I am going to drive it. My initial thought is to use a Pi with a can bus module to gather the data from the ECU, other than fuel level it should all be there, then drive the dash with a LED driver on that same Pi, using the Pi to translate RPM/ speed etc. into turning on/off the segments on the dash. Although there are tons of can bus digital dash units I could use re-purposing the original Subaru one is too cool to pass up. Similar approaches have been used to drive other digital dash units:

 

For god sake no body mods except maybe tasteful flares to fit wide
tires,simply dropping her a couple of inches would look sweet

 

I am working some contacts to get more info on the XT6 test bed that Subaru used for the SVX engine testing, it had some amazing front fenders. The rears are going to be something similar to the widebody flares like the E30 BMWs use. I want something that blends in with the XT's lines.

 

That car would be sleeper as hell, smashing porcshes and corvettes.

 

I have been going back and forth on the exhaust for this thing. One thought is a semi straight pipe system so that as soon as you start it up it sounds evil. The other thought is to repurpose something like the Corvette Z06 exhaust where it is fairly quiet at idle and cruise but when you get on it the butterflys open up and it sends chills up the spine of anyone behind it.

 

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The first two are the XT I bought as it sits now, a super clean body! post-968-0-81360300-1514207510_thumb.jpg post-968-0-03171200-1514207521_thumb.jpg

 

This is a pic of the test mule that Subaru used for the EG33 development. I am looking for any info on those front fenders! post-968-0-62766000-1514207629_thumb.jpeg They could have been one-offs done in house or sourced from who knows where. Their solution for the rear is functional but ugly, and wouldn't be near wide enough for my needs.

Edited by subarubrat
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Another topic I am wrestling with, the interior. I could tuck the cage and hard points into the existing frame and drop it off an have someone roll in alcantara dash, carpet, and some STi V7 seats like I have in my Baja, a nice stereo etc. OR...... bare metal painted to match the exterior and a functional interior.

 

Either way, my goal is to get in to Guinness book as the fastest Subaru on Earth. 

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Sorry, sort of using this as a scratch pad now but really cool pics will appear once the car arrives. And on that topic the shipping company is saying pickup Jan 6th so I might have it by the end of the month and within 24 hours it will be down to the shell.

 

I have access to some pretty cool sim tools for aerodynamics and since the XT was a rock star for drag back in the day it is fairly easy to evaluate. Once I have the car on the rotisserie I will do some laser scans and run the sims but I am willing to bet it will be real close to what I am thinking. My target top end for this car based on available gearing is about 230Mph, and I don't want to resort to caveman era aero with a giant wing and such so the bottom of the car will get the most attention. The plan is a full composite front splitter and undertray, as well as closing up the driveshaft tunnel, and the rear will get a tray and diffuser. Not trying to re-invent the wheel I am going to steal the F355 front tray and the Lotus Elise/Exige rear diffuser since they are brilliant. Once I see how it all plays together I will adjust as needed.

 

And more thinking on the above topic has me leaning toward a full interior and Lambo style doors, I am normally really against those, I had a 1999 Diablo VT and hated seeing them on Honda Civics, at one point even Lamborghini abandoned them because they were played out. But, with the XT's funky exotic interior and exterior looks I think it fits the era and phuckit I am probably going to do that.

 

Anyway, I am bouncing off the walls until this thing shows up. I will probably take it on a drive as-is then tear down.

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  • 1 month later...

After a month of idiocy and incompetent trucking companies the thing was finally delivered! It ran great and I drove it a few miles before starting the tear down. The previous owner reported he had overheating issues and the cause was pretty obvious, the radiator inlet was cracked wide open. The engine is ready to come out, I had a delay when I went to my hangar and found that my engine hoist had been borrowed without anyone telling me so I had to get one from my neighbor. So sometime this coming week I should have the driveline out and ready to get the LSA in place and start figuring out what my front crossmember will look like, and if I will have to modify the trans tunnel.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Awesome on the FSM link, PM sent and thanks!

 

The bezel I need is the one around the instrument panel itself, not the stereo. The one on this car is broken off. I will post a pic when I am home tomorrow.

 

I need to get my hands on the dash to see exactly how I am going to drive it. My initial thought is to use a Pi with a can bus module to gather the data from the ECU, other than fuel level it should all be there, then drive the dash with a LED driver on that same Pi, using the Pi to translate RPM/ speed etc. into turning on/off the segments on the dash. Although there are tons of can bus digital dash units I could use re-purposing the original Subaru one is too cool to pass up. Similar approaches have been used to drive other digital dash units:

 

 

I am working some contacts to get more info on the XT6 test bed that Subaru used for the SVX engine testing, it had some amazing front fenders. The rears are going to be something similar to the widebody flares like the E30 BMWs use. I want something that blends in with the XT's lines.

 

 

I have been going back and forth on the exhaust for this thing. One thought is a semi straight pipe system so that as soon as you start it up it sounds evil. The other thought is to repurpose something like the Corvette Z06 exhaust where it is fairly quiet at idle and cruise but when you get on it the butterflys open up and it sends chills up the spine of anyone behind it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

post-968-0-77910700-1523101986_thumb.jpg

 

The engine is in! It is far from complete and the big work lies ahead but it is a huge step. The front cross member had to be notched about 2 inches and the oil pan pretty much matches the contour of the bottom of the cross member. I am linking the two halves together and connecting the cross member to the firewall and front radiator support to stiffen the front end for the increased power. The bottom of the oil pan is the same as the frame rails so no problem there, the motor mounts, headers, and intake all clear and the hood closes nicely with over an inch of clearance to the hood fire blanket. 

 

The trans tunnel will need to be enlarged and that is next, then once the trans is in I will tackle the rear end suspension and driveline.

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It hasn't flown yet.  When we took the cowling off we discovered a massive crack across the front that somebody had covered with bondo to hide it without repair.  So the cowling is off for composite work.  But it should be a fantastic performing little plane.  We do have a Cruismaster owner interested but he has not pulled the trigger yet.  Most of the standard kit will bolt right on but we'll need to get creative with the ductwork.  The Cruismaster has a very different setup for the frame that holds the nose gear components than the Viking.

 

Which Vortechs are you using for this?  We have stopped using V1's and use V3's for all of our new installs above 360cid.  Unfortunately belts are a must for us as they eliminate the potential of a failed supercharger from mechanically damaging the engine in flight.  While the belt can not be considered a designed failure point we did demonstrate during testing that if the blower seized the belt would slip until it fell off without damaging the engine.  So much destructive testing that you will hopefully never experience.

 

Anyway, more pictures and updates please.  Loving this.

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