El Presidente

I mentioned the wrong size earlier. The subaru studs use a 35/64" too right? I think I ended up using the same nissan studs you did now that you mention it... Don't use thread cutting oil!, its not designed for high speed cuts. Some kinds also release some narly toxic stuff when its burned...A9 is an example, some new guys at my old work used this to drill some holes in steel and all 5 need to go to the hospital. If you want to do it right use a machining oil like Castrol safety-draw, it literly moves to the heat were it needs to be. I recommended WD-40 because it works, its cheap, and everybody has it.

I found it was easier to with a hand drill. Go buy a couple 3/16" drill bits and use these as pilot bits, get something decent here, no harbor freight bits. This will make your bigger 31/64" bit last for the whole job. I used transfer punches($10 at harbor freight) to mark my hole centers and then I used another punch to make the divot bigger to help get the bit started. The key is to keep the RPM's of the drill low, about 100-250 rpm. If the chips are blue or brown, slow down and use more wd-40. Going fast will burn up your bits. I start on a puddle of wd-40 and then give it a good healthy shot half way through with the bit stopped, so it can puddle in the hole. The wd-40 will smoke as you drill and thats ok. IIRC toyota used a 12x1.50mm stud, but your alloys may need something different. A mismatched lugnut/stud combo can be very bad so make sure you get the right ones. I'd trade those alloys on a set of steelies, but still upgrade to a 6 lug, so you can use any 6 lug down the road, and not a modified one. Alloys aren't as strong as steelies and when abused offroad( or sometimes just taken offroad) they break... literally. A buddy of mine had 2/3's of his bead break off when bound up on a rock. With steelies, you can use the stock subaru studs and even get more from the JY if your on a budget.

Thats a sweet deal!

If you do move over to this side of the mountains don't be a stranger!

Do you want to join NWWO, or are you looking to buy a lift kit? I don't know if anybody has a EA81 lift kit they'd sell, but they're available from a couple sources/vendors. If you want to join NWWO, we can help you build or install a lift and a 6 lug upgrade, but we are looking for somebody who will spend some trail time with us.

I don't think its open yet. I drove by last summer and it looked open, but I think it was just a work party. This was the latest news I could find: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducation/Topics/RecreationPlanning/Pages/amp_rec_reiter_foothills.aspx

Use vacuum caps an all the unused vacuum ports, you can get them at any parts house. As far as your PCV system(the hoses coming out of the valve covers) run one hose from your pcv valve to one valve cover and the other hose goes from the OTHER valve cover to the air cleaner, making a loop of air from your air cleaner, through your motor, and up to the PCV valve. The EGR valve is solely for emissions and it benefits you motor 0%. It will not melt/harm your motor to take it off or disable it. EGR's do rob power and performance at the top end, but not much, however every little bit helps. EGR's do make the inside of your motor more dirty and fouled. These are facts and not opinion. The only logical reason to keep your EGR working is if you need to pass emissions.

I posted this in the 80's subaru general forum, to try and get the word out, but I think it got deleted.... If anybody wants to join NWWO, but wants more than a 2" lift we may be able to help you. You'd have to buy or make it yourself though(we can help here too), the only free lift is the 2". I remebered I roughed out two 3" strut blocks(hard part of the lift) when I lifted Lightfoot. I'll offer those up for free,...but the only catch is that I need a little bit more steel to get them done and maybe some wire for the welder. If any body is interested, we'll work something out. I also have a set of 6 lug toyota wheels that I'd lend out if you join NWWO, but I'm not ready to sell with then yet. We can help you upgrade to a 6 lug setup too(super cheap and simple) if you want. This is a great opportunity! Josh

X2 I'm curious to know how it turned out too! If you have done this and it doesn't work, please share... I've seen this done to a couple stock motors( even a few 4cyl.'s) with stock cams and all had new attitude and power.

The idle speed should be turned out no more than 3 turns IIRC...going to far will make the transfer circuit kick in and mileage will be horrible..going to far out and the butterflies will block the idle port and it willn't want to run. I think the spec for the air/fuel is 1 1/2-2 1/2 turns out IIRC. A lot of guides say to start at 2 turns to get it started. If your not within, or at least close to these numbers, start looking around for vacuum leaks or wrong size jets and emulsion tubes. Float levels are very important with these carbs too and if they're wrong, it will make the whole carb not work properky. plastic should be at 35mm closed, 51mm open and brass floats should be at 40mm closed to 50mm open. For offroad/aggressive driving set the float to to no more than 44.5mm drop. Carb guides are just that..carb guides. Not all carbs are the same and any guide should be taken with a grain of salt. My DF doesn't want an idle jet, so I'm not running one, just a jet holder. It came factory with one and I've cleared the entire thing out. Its runs great BTW! Haven't seen that in a manual, but DF's do have more personality..

26 mpg's is really good and I'd be happy with that. Have you tried ethanol free gas? It's usually good for 2-3 mpg's as well as an increase in power, smoother idle and zero ill affects. I've heard of 30+ mpg's webers, but from what I've read on the board you start affecting performance when you get up there. One thing that can be done is to move the accelerator pump lever to the #1 position. There should be three positions, most come set at #2. You might be a little sluggish on takeoffs, but it should help with the MPG's Seeing liquified gasoline in the carb is normal after running it, its just the last bit the motor sucked out or its from pumping the gas pedal when not running. I've owned a few webers on different cars and they've all needed at least 2-3 pumps of the pedal to start right up after sitting. The sizzle sound can be from gas dripping off of the carb and boiling on the intake manifold floor. As long as its not leaking OUTSIDE the carb, your good. What is this Weber on? Which model of Weber? Do you know what your pressure is at now? I think EA81 and EA82 N/A cars are set at 2.5-4psi Webers(DG series) are picky(better ones, Italian built) and need 1.5-4psi. DF series(holley 5200's found on fords, chevy's, amc's and dodge's) are more forgiving and can handle as high as 6-7psi, but still operate at 2psi. I'm running a DFAV off a 74 pinto. A fuel return line will not help your mpg's and modifying a non return weber into one, my ruin it or make it do weird things. If its not a return style carb, just leave it alone. Ethanol free gas: http://pure-gas.org/ Select your state near the bottom to find a list of stations in your area Josh

I pulled mine off on my ea82, and I've pulled several over the years off different vehicles with no ill effects. Theres no good reason to have one other than emissions and theres lots of reason to take it off. Because they inject inert air into the intake stream, they also reduce power by reducing displacement...this may not be noticable on a 1.8l, but its still there. These motors need all extra power they can get and any gains will be seen at the top end when the EGR is suppose to operate. EGR's inject a lot of soot and carbon into the intake charge which builds on intake runners and valves, wearing various parts and affecting performance. They can also be the source of idle problems when they stick. EGR's are for cooling combustion temps, but its for emissions, not for the safety of the motor. It will run a tiny bit warmer in the chambers, but not enough to affect anything or even register on your temp gauge. People may tell you it will melt the motor, but it willn't.

#2 Upgrade - Interior swap I don't have any pics of the old interior, but it looked just like any other haggared interior you'd see at the JY. The interior was blue, but was mostly grey from sun damage and dirt. A buddy had a 85 2wd DL wagon he was scrapping with a really clean brown interior, so I took everything, the seats, the dash, the carpet, the steering coluum and wheel, and every other stitch of trim and plastic. It took me a about 8-9 hours to take my old interior out and reintall my "newer" one. I like the 85-86 interiors better, but I kept the 87+ HVAC buttons and intrument cluster, which I like better than the 85-86's. The wire harnesses all match up and the dash plugged right in. All the interior pieces fit great except a few things: The 87 ignition lock had a metal tab I had to cut off to fit in the 85 coluum and the interior door panels need to be cut to fit around the mirror bases..in 85-86 the mirrors are differnt than 87+. Its not that hard to do and well worth the effort. I'd take pictures, but its just a 85 GL interior.

#1 upgrade - Holley 5200 carb(DFAV Weber) Since it barely ran well enough to drive around the block and into my old garage due to carb issues I figured I'd start there. I read on the board about the Weber upgrades and heard a few mentions of the DFAV(aka..Holley 5200) which came stock on many early 70's cars including Pintos and Vega's. The DFAV also fits better on a Subaru because the throttle linkage is on the same side as the Hitachi and the choke isn't on the front, interfering with the power steering pump reservoir. I Picked up one from picknpull for $38 and gave it a good thorough soak in barrymans carb dip. Its off a 74' pinto with a 2.3L The throttle shafts were very loose(which is a common problem on the DFAV's) and I repaired them by using JB weld. Its done by stripping the throttle shafts down and covering them with autobody wax, then you roughen up the inside of the throttle shaft holes with sandpaper and smear a good helping of prepared JB weld in there. Then put the shafts back in and let it cure. The wax will help them release once the JB weld cures. The shafts now have a perfect fit and if you need to loosen them back up, just put some rubbing compound or toothpaste on the shafts and work them around. I originally made mine to tight and when the motor was cold the shafts would get sticky, so I had to spend some time loosening them up. I also removed the choke pull-off to simplify the carb. I ported the stock carb opening out as much as I can and then I made an adapter plate using two pieces of aluminum bar and perfectly matched the adapter to the enlarged intake opening and the carb gasket. I didn't take pictures of it during fabrication, but I'll post pics if anyone wants, I'll just have to pull the carb. I made a thottle cable holder using some 1 1/4"x1/4" bar. I used a "cable to ballstud" adapter so I could use the stock ford ballstud. Here it is: Now it runs great!

Backstory: After seeing a lifted Subaru wagon on Craigslist, I had to have one, so I found this USMB and started doing my homework. I ended up buying a 87' GL Wagon this last Feb. for $500. It had the stock hitachi carb and it BARELY ran, which required a tow home from Belfair. Its original name was Sh--box, it was swamped offroad and smelled like mildew, swamp water and perfume..timing belt was two teeth off, had elecrtical issues in the dash, and the windows leaked helping the mildew. It also had mismatched tires, howling front bearings, stripped hub and spindle on the drivers CV axle, leaky steering rack, mangled exhaust system, fubar'd carb, brakes on the way out and stiff ujoints in the driveline.. Here it is after fixing all the above, with new carb and interior.

Its for adjusting the cam timing, which can dramaticly change how a motor runs including moving the power band and complementing a boosted intake charge....I have no idea what it would do to a EA82, but I'm curious to know what this would do to my Weberized EA82.....hmmm.. I'm very interested to see where this goes, please give us a status report when you get them installed!

A 2WD 85' or 86'(I can't remember) that a buddy got for scrap had those and I think these are specific to those one or two years. I saved the ones I had and tried selling them, but got 0% interest.

I recommend putting a little seafoam on the valves to try to free them up if one is indead stuck. I don't know what PB blaster does in oil, but seafoam can only do good and is designed for breaking up varnish, which builds up in valve guides. Motors hate to sit and not run..the oil becomes acidic and eat/weakens bearings, varnishes solidify, seals become hard and brittle, ethanol in gasoline eats fuel lines...its never good and I wouldn't be surprised if you have more motor issues down the road. I've seen motors come in for rebuilds after they sat..two come to mind..one was a buick V6 that sat for 3 years in storage, then the owner used it as a DD. The bearings became weak from acids in the oil, and caused one of the cam bearings to seize snapping the cam in two while on the freeway. The other one was a chev 350, same story except it was most of the mains that seized along with a couple rod bearings. Any vehicle thats mothballed, should be started and warmed up at least once a month along with bi-annual oil changes. Turning on the A/C will keep it alive and turning on the heat will keep the heater core healthy. Taking it for a drive also prevents drivetrain problems and keeps it ready to drive at anytime.

Does it make a ton of noise when its running? Dropped seats are very loud and do a lot of damage very fast...if it is a dropped seat, your cheaper bet will be to get a new head. I used to be an auto machinist and know first hand what it takes to fix them. How do you know its a stuck valve? I wouldn't rule out head gaskets, a timing belt mis-aligned, or possibly a burnt valve. If the valve is stuck, its going to make horrible noise from the loose rocker arm rattling against the cam and lifter. I've never had it happen to a Subaru, but head gaskets dont always leak coolant when they go. I've also had them leak cylinder to cylinder, cylinder to outside the motor, and cylinder to oil passage I'd take the valve cover off and possibly the cam towers to see if anything is apparent there. If you decide to tap the valves, be careful because they are small and can bend, also if you miss and hit the spring retainer, it can pop the keepers out and the valve can fall/get pushed into the cylinder. Just look for slop in the valve train... You can also drop the exhaust header(5 bolts) and use a rubber tipped air nozzle to pressurize the cylinder at the spark plug hole. Spray the back of the exhaust valve with soapy water, if they leak, you'll see bubbles. A small amount of bubbles isn't bad, but if you have no to little compression, you'll likely see/feel a stream of air coming from the back of the valve or a mountain of bubbles. Have you checked your coolant, and oil for compression gases?

It shouldn't be spun at all..the struts have bearings in them for turning, but the strut block doesn't rotate. All your doing is moving the strut mount down 4" using a 17* angle, because the strut mount is at 17* degrees from horizon. Its important that the angle points straight towards the center of the rig so you don't have a change in castor. Castor isn't adjustable, so if you get it wrong, your stuck with it. Take your time with your strut blocks and understand what your doing and how it affects your suspension, like I said earlier, the struts blocks are the hardest part. If its too much for you to deal with, used blocks come up for sale, or you can buy them new. I used 4" dia. schedule 40 grade B pipe for my strut blocks and 1/4" plate for my tops and bottoms. Because I went with a 18* instead of a 17*, I had to massage the inside of the towers with a baby sledge, but I'm %100 happy with the results.

Deep snow tires are a grey area, because snow can vary so much. You said deep snow....are you offroading in it or are you mostly on road(like wha tthe tires you linked to are for)? What do you call deep snow? 6"...1'...10'... Is the snow your planning on running in wet or powdery and dry? Is the snow compacted by other vehicles or are you plowing through fresh stuff? How cold are we talking about? tires behave very differently in 30 degree than in -30 degree weather based on tread composition. I generally prefer a good mud terrain for fresh snow like a cooper STT, BFG Mudd Terrain KM or a maxxis bighorn. Size can make all the difference too. Wide high flotation tires get up on top and allow you to traverse many many feet, but skinnier tires have a smaller foot print and do better on harder snow because the load isn't distributed.

Did you recheck your cam timing?

I'll be there too!