Nate E.

'83 GL 2wd wagon here. 185/70-13's all 'round for 3 season driving. A pair of WestLakes & a pair of Thunderer's from Les Schwab. Yeah, I know, not matching. It's a 2WD machine. These are basic, cheap tires that look nearly the same. They are noisy. That's really my only complaint. Wearing just fine. I've gotten 30+ mpg on highway travelin'. For winter tires, I just installed a set of non-studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7's. 175/70-13's. Found a deal at SimpleTire. https://simpletire.com/nokian-p175-70r13-t427757-tires?stmodel=hakkapeliitta-7&stcategory=winter&sttype=passenger&gclid=CMiU35z8788CFQMaaQodHjED7Q They are wonderfully quiet & roll way smoother. A supple feeling tire. The rain performance is fookin' awesome. No pulling or floaty business. They feel just a wee bit squirmier in the corners than the other tires on tarmac. RPM's are up just a tick for a given speed. 2800rpm is a GPS 62-63mph. A few miles on some greasy 32deg cold damp road a couple weeks ago. Seemed stable. Predictable. Haven"t put any snow miles in yet. Looks like I'll get a chance in the next couple days. NE

I've got a hydrolifter EA81 longblock that was not showing any compression on #1 cylinder. Leak-down test showed huge leak past the intake valve. Popped valve cover off to check that it's not stuck valves. No stuck valves, but signs of monkeywrenching on #1 tappet adjusters. Hmmmm. Pop head off; the valves had kissed the piston tops. Damn. Most noticeably on #1 Intake. Less on #1 Exhaust. #3 piston top shows a kiss, as well. Double damn. Removed #1 Intake valve and roll the stem on a piece of glass. Yep. Bent. There's a ding in the valve stem. ??? More monkey action. Headgaskets were Felpro's, so the heads have been off before. Maybe the cases were split and the cam didn't get timed correctly. Nope, got a centerpunch mark visible through the chamfered flywheel bolt hole when it's at 12 o'clock. Hmmm. Is it possible that upon re-assembly, said monkey with wrench fiddled with the DON'T ADJUST tappets, turned the motor over and bent the valves? Can that happen if the adjusters are screwed in all the way and left there? I know that's the second step in adjusting the DON'T ADJUST tappets. First step is put the piston somewhere in the compression stroke towards TDC, if not TDC. Then the screws are backed out to zero lash plus another turn or so. Nate

Swapped in manual steering rack. Removed AIS reed valves/tubes/exhaust spacers. Prepped PCV system for up-coming Weber swap. Shortened/cleaned up some vacuum solenoid valve placement. Removed vacuum solenoid valve for AIS. No more power steering pump n hoses. NE '83 GL 2WD wagon

I can believe it. Grew up in Redmond/Bend, gradiated high school in Redmond(formerly known as R.U. High; Redmond Union High School). This was back when it was dangerous to be a nerd/geek. Central Oregon hicks hold a special place in my heart. NE

spiders & rust NE

PM'ed you about the engines. Very interested in one. Maybe I can roll out to check them out this weekend. Thanks, Nate 503.481.7345

Awright, you're talking my language. Gives me incentive to get that rack swapped. Not sure of a timeline on my part yet. You officially have first dibs on my PS system. Nate

@TurboSubsruBrat Well, I've already got the rack. Not sure when I'm gonna do the swap. Have in mind to do struts/ball joints/steering rack in one fell swoop, followed by an alignment. I'm looking for EA81 engine stuff, so I'll keep you in mind for the PS system. Got anything? You in Portland area? NE

The PS system works just fine. Just working on simplifying the car and more go juice for the wheels. It's such a small car that I feel no power is needed for steering. I'll eyeball the existing PS crossmember more and give some feedback here. Nate

I have an '83 GL FWD w/ power steering & want to swap in a manual system. I have the manual rack. I've dug around the interwebs & it looks like I might need the manual crossmember. Is that due to mounting differences and/ or different holes and reliefs for the P/S lines? Nate

Oh, duh. A look at an interwebs picture woulda told me that. And a Corvallis question for you, Mr. Gloyale; anybody in Corvallis into EA81's? I need a crank. Thanks, NE

Hey check these guys out: http://www.philbingroup.com/rebuilt/distributors.htm Maybe he's got parts n stuff. NE

I'm in need of another crank for an EA81 rebuild. I noticed on a couple engine rebuilder parts websites that the reground EA81 and EA82 cranks are the same part number. They use the same bearings, seals & rods. Is the flywheel bolt pattern the same? If so, this makes the part search just that much easier. Thanks, Nate

Well shucks. Thanks turbo. The reason I ask is that a few Ishino ones are left @ autopartswarehouse for $8.95ea. http://m.autopartswarehouse.com/details/Subaru/GL/Ishino/Cylinder_Head_Gasket/1983/Base/4_Cyl_1-dot-8L/W0133-1652685.html NE

Well, this is probably a dumb question, but are EA71 & EA81 head gaskets compatible? Same cylinder bore. I dug around USMB & the interwebs a bit & didn't find a conclusive answer. No access to parts pdf's right now. Presumably they have different Subaru part numbers. NE

I have owners manual, 1983 sales brochure, covered with notes & clippings for the best deal to be found in Bend in 1983. Even the plastic folder thingy to keep everything tidy in the glove box. Will get a pic up of the brochure. I think a lot of deliberation went into the initial purchase of my machine('83 GL maroon wagon, 2WD, 5spd, electric windows). I'm the third owner. NE

On the subject of EA81 overhauls, any recommendations for sourcing a rebuild kit? Or better to do piece by piece via the local Subaru dealer? NE

I have an '83 GL EA81 that was giving me fits in the fuel pump zone. After much reading on USMB, I figured it may the grounding of the pump. Factory-wise it is grounded back through the computer. But that can become questionable after a few decades. I soldered in a ground jumper, running to a mounting screw. Ring terminal at the screw end. No problems since. I thought the filters kept clogging up & the pump was becoming intermittent. But no, just a janky ground. Mind you, the 12V to the pump only happens for a couple seconds when the key is turned on. Just primes the situation, then waits for a signal from the distributor that the engine is indeed turning. More a safety thing I guess. All this is predicated on the assumption that an '83 EA81 has a similar system to the '86 EA81, aka; digital carb . NE

Smaller base circle but more lift allows for that? Or is it a timing situation? What about rocker arm geometry? NE

Awaiting a buncha brake bits for my '83 GL 2WD. Pads, hoses, caliper rebuild kits, new M/C. Gonna replace all engine mounts and regrease axles. Gathering parts for a Weber swap. Eventually discs for the rear and a set of freshly powder coated EA81 spoked wheels. And some mud flaps & center caps. We'll see how far I get across the winter. Wish I had a car sized shop. And this: Had a cold and did some homework. Anybody got a spare EJ22 & transaxle? NE

"shave cylinder heads" Don't forget to shorten the pushrods. NE

bump yo

Anyone know of a shop in PDX area that will do an 'up on the lift', thorough underbody steam cleaning? My '83 DL needs a good blast and I just don't have access to a good situation to handle this. Chasing down the myriad of leaks is nearly impossible with all the crud and I hate doing that sorta work by hand & brush. Thanks, NE

El Soob '83 GL wagon 2WD 233,000miles original engine n transaxle. Has a taste for CV boots right now. High 20's for gas mileage and just rocked a PDX to B-ham trip(530miles) to pick a Suzuki dual sport bike. A DR350 will easily fit into the back of a wagon. NE