kingbobdole

Hey Kevin! My old Rx, currently Mike's Rx is for sale... not quite turbo anymore, it's got that SOHC EJ25 in it that could use a little boost. I loved it for the +30 MPH it got as well as the 165 HP.. it's a fun car for sure.

Thanks! It's really ugly up close... until you open the hood.

When we got Dorothy the 86 Turbo XT, she had MS 1 running on her high compression EA82T. Was very fun to play with for sure. I just sold it to my brother to put on a EJ25 SC project he has going.

What's funny is I have one... it was in the rear pocket of my XT-6 for the longest time... Wonder if it's still there...

I rustolem'd my XT a few years ago for about $40. Using the gallon cans and a harbor freight spray gun and stolen-from-my-father sanding materials... it was a great choice considering what my car looked like before. Sanded and prep'd it decently, took about 20 hours for that. Then sprayed about 5 coats on it. No clear. Still looks ok if I wax it... I painted it in '06 before the Alcyone Dragon run and this was it at The Dragon last year.

Skip made me a 16 lbs wheel for my ol XT-6 and I loved it, lots more response. FYI a stock XT-6 wheel is 19 lbs... turbos are like 25... When I did my lifted GL's clutch I put the lighter XT-6 flywheel in it.. it's still slow.

The "blue lexan" as you put it is just a protective covering over clear lexan. When I took some of the blue pics, I just left the protector over it. It's just to keep it from getting scratched. I chose clear so I could manage the darkness of the red.

The XT/RX wheel caps were actually made to help with airflow around the wheels... Fender skirts would be cool too.

This still isn't done?!!? Don't forget to put oil in it!

WaLa! Then I went back to the silly cover... stupid orange lines... Roni told me about some newton brush cleaner that's safe for plastics... off they went. With the frame temporarily back on as I'll be using the XT-6 frame with it so I have the proper warning lights. On Off It really was not that hard to do, but you do have to take care with the LCD. .030" Lexan and clear Tamiya paint are the only parts you need, I also used lexan scissors (I had them since I do RC cars too), phillips head driver, flat head some needle nose pliers and a box to paint in. Took me about five hours, and I'm lighting it with the crappy battery out of my XT. As far as other colors go, anything not too dark should work. Yellows, greens and blues, but the darker the hue, the less light gets through. Ha! Anyway, enjoy!

Not sure if this has been done before, but knowing myself, this is the most it's been documented.. Today's project was changing the color of the ol XT Turbo digidash. Why? You might ask, well I wasn't totally opposed to the orange color, but the rest of my gauges are red, and the plan is to convert my car to digidash as well as turbo computer so that I get a range function and 25% more 80's into my car. Jeff and I also discovered that the radio can be color changed as well and the trip computer too as Subaru uses the same simple trick for all of it, so it probably applies to the non-XT digi as well.. Here's a before pic so you can get a feel for the camera and how it looks. Video is it plugged into my 6. First real thing to do is pull the whole works apart, being careful not to break the ribbon cable between the boards or the LCD it's self. The LCD is held on by two metal frames that press the LCD onto a spongy connector and onto the board, there is no hard connection between the board and the LCD. The LCD is glass though and use of prying forces and tools is not advised... I didn't do this right away, so the pics of the temp side do not show it... this is just much easier. I started with some rigging last night, and since Jeff was thinking of a blue color, I have done some research on that as well. I started with the temp side as the LCD is in two parts. First after removing the frame, there are three screws in the face that hold on the lens and the cover, more on those at the end. After that, pull on the metal "frame" tabs and release the LCD. Then you get to the beef, there is the LCD with a paper frame inside to help make it look a bit cleaner and then the colored plastic filter. Last night I played with a battery case(for AAs) and some cellophane tape just to see, it seemed to work. Then today I picked up the real deal at a local Hobby Town. Clear lexan (with blue plastic protector) and a can of Tamiya transparent red that is safe for acrylics... think of a model car's tail lights. Cost about $10 as the paint is kinda pricey... I USED .030 THICK LEXAN, THICKNESS MATTERS! After cutting out the piece to the right shape I played a bit since there was blue covering already on the piece... With two blue One blue Painted with the clear red. Then I tried to pull the main LCD, but it's so large I was fearful of breaking it, so I pulled the board off of it, notice the long connections at the top and bottom of the board, those are for the LCD and just kinda of press on it due to pressure from the metal frame. Then I pressed the LCD and wiggled and moved to to let the rubber connections let go so it would just slide out of the plastic holder. The holder is the one with metal, the LCD took the orange and display filter with it. This is VERY strange, but without the orange filter, the LCD and background filter are a light blue.... score one for Jeff... Then I went back to the lexan again. Another note is to set it in place and make sure it's level and trim the edges to make sure it's flush, otherwise parts of the LCD may not work. Also note I poked EVERY light bulb for the main display's backlight... when doing so they ALL BROKE! They were blackened before, but my luck just made them all go out and it took me a second to realize what I broke... I figure I messed up the ribbon cable or something... I did have an extra 03 VDC Legacy dash around though and stole all kinds of light bulbs from it.

I just had an 01 six disc in my XT recently... worked fine even though I didn't mount it too well. The only problem with the GL is it will hit the heater box... Even my single din sticks out a bit. As you can see I skipped the adapter, mostly because the XT-6 one is different and not available IIRC... I just cut the old harness off of the back of the stock radio. Then used the diagram I found here witch is pretty much universal for all new gen cars. http://ae64.com/Forester-pinout.htm Good luck!

The timing belts are not aligned with TDC on this engine. If you had the original flywheel you could see how far off the belt marks are in degrees from the TDC marks and maybe set it that way. Something also tells me that there's a mark on the crank pulley... Did you have belts on it before? Why not just line up the cams before you pull the old belts off and don't move anything?

Back on topic, the 2.5's really don't care for boost... My advice is to either be happy with what you have non turbo and maybe put an exhaust and intake (IIRC they even have an AP for it now) on it, or trade it for a WRX. As far as the 2.5 N/A is concerned, I'm not sure you can spend enough money to make it reliable turbo.

Hey, it's my thread.... You'll probably be fine, mine was a bit snug inside the housing, but never gave me or Mike, the current owner, any hassle. I think some of the discrepancy has to do with the engine and tranny combo and how it's mounted. My trans mount was a bit hackneyed on this car so my readings were a bit off. You're talking about less then 3/8" swing either way and you have at least on inch to play since it doesn't have to be exact. It'll be fine.

It was one of the first things I ever did to my XT-6. The pedal swap was the hardest part.

Maybe skip the annoying color and summarize a bit more? I read the whole thing, but you seem to after a solution that hasn't been a wide problem. Two things, Firstly, how fogged are your current lenses. Clear lenses make a big difference. Second, why not the JDM lights? Do things really happen that often to your headlights? The other solution is my favorite you seem to be avoiding... more lights! Why not just bolt some big old hellas to your bumper? Wa-LA! Daytime!

+1

It would be easier to put the brakes on the hubs that they came on. EJ or XT-6 axles would work, depending on spline, but any AWD axles should work. XT-6 should be the correct choice, there are some length issues with the newer stuff.

GD is being overly melodramatic. It is possible, rather possible, just depending on what you want out of the car. The drive train is rather simple, depending on year. After 05, they went to a more advanced security system, that I for one would stay away from. The engine and trans drop right in with a few parts like an XT-6 rear trans mount and a turbo GL-10 crossmember provided you have one. If you're going whole hog with the suspension too, you have to either modify the holes for the strut tops, or use your stock strut tops on the EJ struts. On the lower end you'll need XT-6 front lower control arms. In the back of the car is a different story. Nothing in the EA is similar, especially to the STi. It will have to be totally custom as the tops are not the same design and neither is the lower suspension design. The older stuff is a swing arm and newer is a strange dual link setup with a separate frame member for the diff. The drive shaft will have top be modified as well and I'm sure a number of other things will need to be changed to make it all work... small stuff. The brakes will work as long as you use the EJ hubs, in the front at least. Interior wise, you're up a creek. The seats can be made to fit. I have an STi drivers seat in my 89 XT-6 and all the seats from an 03 VDC in my 87 GL with working power and heaters. It can/has been done, but a great love for the car and a lot of free time and money are needed. I also just noticed you are near me

Geeze, lots of 3rd gen love in here. It's an old car that was rare when made. You do have to be dedicated, but it makes a good daily. Mine is a daily, but it's a bit special. I was also a daily when it was more stock. I also just got back from my trip in it to NC for the Dragon meet.... Just about 3000 miles with no issues. Don't be scared, just do it. Ohh and you CAN still get PS fluid for them, it's just really expensive, but you hardly need it since the systems rarely leak. Parts are not really expensive, they are on par with the rest of the GLs and what not, they are just harder to find then the GL parts. If you need to to have parts falling from the sky in order to keep a car on the road, you really are not an enthusiast.

When I put my EJ25 SOHC into my 88 RX I never hooked up the VSS and didn't have any problems. Some people have told me it could cause a performance issue, but the car ran a good 15 second quarter mile time at altitude so I doubt it really lacks any performance. I have an EZ30 in my 89 XT wired the same way with no VSS.... No problems there either.

It's what I have in my EZ30 XT... EJ22 flywheel and 2.5 clutch. Works with no issues. The only real difference in the Subaru world is the turbo stuff. It's all pull vs push, turbo being the former, N/A the later. You cannot swap N/A to turbo or vice versa, other wise you're fine.

Building harnesses is the fun part. I'm assuming you have no spark, or no ECU control. First thing to do is if you have a ODB2 connector is to try and get codes out of it. If not, try checking all the powers and grounds to the ecu again. If that's all good, check for power to the fuel injectors or coil or something, see if the ECU is distributing that power.