wentz912

Oh yes, forgot to post the more recent pictures since I got the five spokes put on!

I did the swap for more than just to get to a more common wheel size. This is my street bomber, in the process of being built to be quick. If it doesn't sell by New Year's I'll hold onto it, gather parts for a Frankenmotor swap and tear up some pavement with AWD! Realistically I see this as being the only real benefit to going five lug over the redrill. If we could get the off-road guys to leave the five lug parts alone, and just redrill their stuff, everybody'd probably be happier!

If you haven't messed with the distributor since you became aware of needing to change the belts, then leave it be. If your engine is properly timed before it comes apart, the rotor will point to the correct pole when the drivers side cam has the timing hole straight up where it's supposed to be. This is because the distributor is driven by that cam shaft. So, like the white paint mark, it is a completely redundant step.

See the connection now bratman? Idasho is making the point that because the pivot point for the rear suspension is "in front" of the rear wheels more than it is "inside/towards the center of the car" of the wheels, that a ride height change is not going to have the same corellating camber changes that the front would experience.

Messing with the distributor is a completely unnecessary step, and can much more easily lead to confusion. Also, it was not mentioned previously in the thread at all in regards to changing timing belts.

Can't believe how difficult you are trying to make this, scoobie.....:-p With the passenger side belt attached, if you turn the crank ONE FULL REVOLUTION back to the timing belt marks, the passenger side camshaft will turn itself EXACTLY as much as it should, provided you did it correctly in the first place. All this hooey with white marks and such is ridiculous.

From a rigging stand point, ONE of those shackles is enough to LIFT that car.

Is the RX body too far gone to swap all the good sedan bits onto?

From my understanding of things that is 100% correct. Never had the parts physically in my hands though.

The statement above in bold is incorrect. You turn the engine 360*, it is the camshaft that only rotates 180*. Stating to place the first camshaft at TDC is also misleading as well. While not quite "wrong", TDC is typically a term only used in reference to piston travel. And since I'm on a roll here..... Marshall, your neighbor is an idiot. You have to get the car timed to a point close enough to correct for it to run before a timing light is at all useful. So before you get all high and mighty about your "mad skillz", think about what is actually going on.

Personally. I really don't think you should spend any money on the timing cover gaskets. I'm a thorough believer in running completely coverless. Definitely looks like you have the right belt kit though.

Let us know what you find out! I 100% agree with you that the 5 lug is the cleanest. All in all, I'd say that the whole swap can be done for <$600 if you take your time, and that includes buying some of the wear items new like BJ's, TRE's and such. Just have to be patient!

That's a bit odd. Can you post us a link to the kit you are looking at getting? And unless I'm stupid, I don't think there ARE any timing cover gaskets or seals per-say. On the front of the engine you have cam shaft o-rings and seals, oil pump seals, front main, and water pump. That's basically it. Also, to expand on what scoobie said, there are two sets of marks that you see through the inspection hole as you rotate the flywheel. One is a set labeled with numbers and letters that is used for ignition timing. The other set, that you will be using, is a set of three 1/4" long ticks about 3/16" apart from each other. You'll want to align the tab on the bellhousing with the center mark out of the three, and install your first belt on the passenger side with the hole on the cam pulley straight up, aligned with the split between valve cover and cam tower, or the notch in the plastic timing cover. Then you'll turn the crank one full revolution clockwise, back to that center mark. Check that the passenger side cam pulley hole is now pointed straight down, and the drivers side is straight up using the same reference point. Button up that belt and VOILA, you're done. Miles Fox has a wicked good video on the procedure posted in the USRM on the subject also.

At the hub end I'm not 100% about it. I know that XT6 and EJ have the same spline count out there, not sure how that compares to EA-T series stuff though. Personally, I went with everything EJ that I possibly could because the parts availability on them is WAY better than anything XT/EA. There's also the added bonus of being able to upgrade as the wallet allows too. If you're only considering this to get to modern wheel and tire sizes, drill some wheels or your hubs and have a ball.

Which end are you concerned about? The rear is bolt it up and go. To save time with mine I just bolted up the trailing arms from an XT6 with the hubs and brake parts still on there and was done. With the front, you shouldn't have to really do anything axle wise except make sure you have the ones that match your hubs. You're already the more desirable/easier to convert 25 spline tranny stubs since yours is a turbo car.

Goble dude! Nice looking hunk of steel you've got there. If you need any little scrap pieces let me know. I've got a pile of the stuff collecting in the corner of my garage that I'd love to see get put to use! Always down to lend a hand wrenching with a fellow USMB'r too!

The VIN number is less important than you are making it. Being an 86, if the engine is still one the factory put in the car, it is most likely the carb'd EA82 aka 1.8L, SOHC, 2BBL. To break that down for you a little, the EA82 is a 1.8L displacement engine operating with Single OverHead Cams, and is fueled by a 2 Barrel Carburetor. How they get two B's in the abbreviation for barrel I dunno. Also, the timing belts are NOT the same, as the driver's side is quite a bit longer than the passenger. If you can swing the green for all the parts, replace everything on the front of that little motor that you can. You've got to have the covers off anyhow, you might as well take advantage of it! And while you're at it, ditch the covers as well! They are nothing but a pain in the butt that interferes with being able to check on and therefore properly maintain your vehicle. As for tools, if I can remember correctly, last time I did mine I only used the following: 8, 10, 12, 14, 22 mm sockets, my long handled ratchet for breaking the crank pulley bolt, a colorful selection of swear words, and an Ice cold beer to reward myself when I was done. If you care to, you can go a step further and lift the front of the car with a jack a bit and remove the engine skid plate. This helps with access to the tensioner hardware from underneath as well as the strain on your back from bending over the front of the car!

Well they were only on the turbo cars, and they look pretty cool on the five lugged, lowered cars.

Will you send somebody the rear door trim pieces before they fall off/explode/get lost?!

You polished the lenses and everything the same way though? Just curiius if there are any other ways to do it is all.

PLEASE stop using your torque wrench like a ratchet. Thats not why it reverses and you can make it not reliable for torquing things that count if you continue to do so.

Lets help you out with your terminology a little bit here.... I'm pretty sure what you're calling a sway bar is actually the radius rod. Connected to the frame with big round bushings that it protrudes through, and two bolts/nuts in slotted holes that attach it to the control arm? IE these are sway bars and THESE are radius rods

Contacts in the switch are probably corroded/dirty. Take apart the column to get to the switch and clean it up. That's the first cheap/free thing I would try.

First part I highlighted is a feeling I share also. I went from not having done nothing but put gas and oil in my 85 GLW when the HG's went, had it torn down to the short block in less than four hours. When I got the heads back from the shop, it was less than 3 hours til it was running again. Second part, realistically NOT necessary. Especially the online part. I obviously don't know how you learn, but if I can't touch/see/feel the parts. I'm not really going to understand how they work or go together. If you're set on taking a class, see if you can audit the class the diesel tech guys are taking or whatever. Usually has a smaller fee, if there is one at all, since you're not getting graded or earning a degree. Good way to get knowledge on the cheap! Another good way to go is next time you are bombing around your local area, if you see somebody wrenching on THEIR junk in their driveway/garage, stop by and ask them a few questions, and if you feel comfortable ask to pitch in and help. There's a ton of different ways to skin a cat as they say, and you can pick up a lot of cool tricks and tips about all sorts of stuff, not just subaru. DISCLAIMER: PLEASE use common sense and judgement if you follow that last piece, if the guy seems as green as you are when it comes to fixing stuff, probably not a real good mentor. Don't participate in any acts you feel are unsafe just because you now feel obligated by offering help. That's exactly how my dad is. "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" He's more than willing to let me bump my head for the sake of learning the right way to do it too! If you don't make mistakes, you don't have a whole lot to learn from. First ones I did on my old 86 were a M#$#%#%#$@#ER! On my current 85 wagon though, 20 mins a side, tops!

Are your projectors done the same way Turbone did his?