GeneralDisorder

If that's the case - use 10 as your new zero and set the timing to 20 (30 for you). Should be good to go. GD

Transmission is shot - replace it. Nothing about the clutch will prevent it from going into gear with the engine off, and the metallic swirl in your gear oil is a sure sign of doom. 270k is a good run for an EJ 5MT. It's dead. Find a used one. GD

All the 4 speed's are the same except the bell-housing - if you go to a 5 speed you will have to lengthen the driveline and build a custom mount/cross member. GD

Fram is a low-end product. Go with OEM, WIX, Bosch, or Purolator. All are a step above the Fram stuff. There are too many horror stories about the Fram filters disintegrating and clogging up passages, etc - can ruin an engine easily. The risk is admittedly very low, but why take it when the cost of the OEM filter is only a dollar or two different? And larger is not better when it comes to oil filters. The RIGHT size is important and Subaru already determined what that should be. Too small is bad and too large is bad to a lesser degree..... Don't re-engineer your engine's lubrication system as you risk uncovering your own flawed logic and lack of engineering degree in the process. GD

There are advantages to the Optima. Power to weight ratio is higher and they tend to deliver power for longer before discharged, etc. You should read up on them - IIRC they are sensitive to over-charging and some people find they don't have a very long life. As far as bouncing around - any gel-cell battery will be basically the same. The Optima is a type of gel-cell that uses their (Johnson Controls) proprietary Spiral Cell technology. But they aren't the only game in town with a gel-cell. Avoid the NAPA spiral-cell gel batteries - I've heard very bad things about them and I know a couple people that have had them fail in very short order. Personally I've had very good luck with Interstate batteries. I prefer them to most other brands. You can find J bolts at any auto parts store I would guess. Or you could just hit the junk yard and grab a couple that suit your needs. Wire wheel them, quick coat of flat black and some anti-sleeze on the threads..... GD

You will find that EA82's like your's use the opposite-of-normal post layout. That is EA81's and EJ cars use the same style while the EA82's use the opposite. You may have issues with that and the Optima - you may have to make or buy new battery cables for the starter positive and the ground strap. GD

You just need longer J bolts it sounds like. I've seen plenty of Costco and Les battery's in EA82's. They fit fine. GD

How close are they? They often won't line up perfectly to the notches on the rear belt covers. Straight up on all three - they usually aren't perfect though but if you imagine how much the mark would move if it were a whole tooth one way or the other it's usually obvious if it's off or not. GD

Bolts will make creaking noises when they get tight. It's just the nature of tight fasteners. It will be fine. I don't even torque crank bolts - just hit them with the old hand-impact a few times and you are good to go. You worry too much GD

You'll need an adaptor plate and customized flywheel (SJR sells both as well as a few other members here), the entire wireing harness from a vehicle that will match up with the engine you use (a wrecked donor car would be ideal), and lots of little odds and ends too numerous to mention. Especially if you have never done this sort of thing before - figure $1000 in parts minimum. Besides the engine/wiring harness (or donor car) you are going to want to do a full timing belt/water pump job and a reseal on the engine before installing it as well as the adaptor plate and flywheel which is around $350 for the set depending on who you get them from. Misc. hoses, belts, chemicals, etc.... it all adds up. It's not a small job and people that have never done stuff like this before are more likely to waste money on the job just from pure ignorance and not having a good stash of parts, supplies, and tools. It can easily get out of hand and run into the several thousand $$ mark. GD

Rear sway bar is a good upgrade - that will definitely help with cornering. The rest is useless. A strut brace won't do squat to that flimsy body with 90 HP, and a turbo will just blow the engine apart. They are too fragile, too high compression, and I doubt you understand what's involved in a turbo swap anyway. Not to mention - if you don't have the money for an EJ - then you definitely don't have the money to do a turbo (not and keep the heads from shooting out the side of the car). You can do a decent EJ22 swap for about $1,000. But you could also just buy a good condition Legacy for the same money. It's about what you want and quite frankly there's no good reason to want an EA82 body unless you just like the way they look and like burning up cash to put the EJ drivetrain in one. Basically they are a huge waste of time and effort with Legacy's getting so cheap. There is a small niche for people that off-road and must have a wagon but that's about the only good use I can think of for the EA82 body cars now. Same goes for the EA81 wagons, etc. Hatchbacks and Brat's are where it's at for wheeling and Legacy's and up are where it's at for driving. GD

Front and rear hubs are not interchangeable. You must source a hub from a 4WD rear disc vehicle. You can use the caliper. Probably the backing plate as well. But not the hub or rotor. GD

No - EA81's are side-starter and your EA71 is a top starter. The bell-housings are completely incompatible and will not bolt up. GD

Yes there are sealing kits - but the cost is a lot more than a good used tank, and there are a couple outfits that are selling brand new EA82 tanks for almost nothing - less than the cost of those kits. Someone posted a link to a place selling EA82 tanks for like $75. GD

Any car with a steel tank like the Subaru's can become VERY nasty if allowed to just sit around. My '69 GMC was a camper truck and sat for most of it's life (has 29k original miles). The gas tank was a rusted mess when I got it and I had to replace the entire pickup/sending unit and install multiple fuel filters to keep the crap out of the fuel system. I still have to replace them every few months and I only drive the thing maybe once a week to haul/tow something. Unfortunately there is no drain plug on the EA82 tanks like there is on the EA81's and first gen Legacy's. If you suspect the tank is nasty it would probably be easiest to just source another tank being they aren't that rare. GD

If you want something that takes less mods and will bolt directly in - try the Nissan Maxima 90 amp alternator upgrade instead. It doesn't have the voltage drop at idle and bracket modifications needed for the GM alt and is around the same price. Plus it has an internal fan, it's metric, and you can use the same pulley off your OEM alt which means no belt changes, etc. All around an easier swap IMO. GD

The filter oil is problematic on MAF cars. Little too much and it gets on the MAF wires and causes havoc. Too little and it doesn't trap dust. It's a variable that doesn't need to exist. The paper filters are better. The 22T is rare, and a completely different engine. Not only would you have to change the engine cross-member, entire cooling system, entire exhaust, and wireing+ECU, but it's not that big of a performance boost without modifications. You would be looking at a LOT of work and it's much easier to just find a turbo car and drive that. It simply is not economical to convert them when the same basic vehicle is availible with the turbo engine, proper radiator core support, ect already factory installed. GD

He gave a measurement - .02" (which is a crap load I might add - 4x the limit). The first question I have is how this number was reached. He should be able to demonstrate this for you. Till I was actually shown this (very unusual) failure..... I would be hard pressed to believe it. GD

I'm independant. No overhead, no employees - just me. $65 is cheap as shops go - but you have to pay people that don't actually wrench. I doubt that YOU personally make $65/Hr right? I charge $35/Hr because that's MY salery. The quality of my work is also generally higher than most shops. Ask the people here that know how I operate. GD

I would try to get a Paraut water pump (OEM manufacturer). Actually the dealerships are not that expensive on these. I would remove the oil cooler and see if you even need the fitting. IIRC they screw to the oil filter threads on the block..... but I could be mistaken about that. GD

If you want to bring it down to me I'll save you more than enough to cover the trailering costs - if a drive to Portland is something you would consider. I charge $35/hr and no markup on parts. GD

The head gasket issues aren't that big of a deal on the phase-II engines ('99 Forester, '00 Legacy). They develop an external coolant leak that is often stopped with the Subaru coolant conditioner. They don't overheat if the fluid is kept topped off. I have a '99 Forester with 240k on it. It started leaking externally - I put in two bottles of the Subaru stop leak (yes, you can do this according to Subaru) and it hasn't leaked a drop since. The stuff works well. And even then - often these vehicles (being a decade old or nearly so) have had the head gaskets replaced by now. Plus it's not that big of a deal to repalce them and gives an opportunity to check seals and do timing belt, water pump, etc. It's just a gasket. GD

I would do it. Doesn't sound very risky to me if it'd done properly. GD

Well - it's a 105k belt so that's a bit paranoid yeah. But if you feel like doing it.... it's not hard and it's a good learning experience. Plus it gives you a chance to check cam seals, etc. I do them all the time and sometimes I have to do them before they are due because I've bought a car with an unknown history so I can't be "for sure" on when they were done. I just pulled one apart with 17k on the belt (didn't know for sure though till I pulled it apart) and I feel better about selling it knowing EXACTLY when the belt will need replaced again. Just depends on what you want and what kind of peace of mind you are looking for. Crashing an '04 Forester engine's belt means bent/broken valves. Honestly the EJ belts are REALLY large and strong though and they almost never break even when run well past the 105k they are designed for. You just don't see broken EJ timing belts till they are 150% or farther past the change interval. GD

Easiest to pull the engine out. That give you an idea of what's involved? "how hard" is pretty nebulous without background info. I do them all the time so it's no big deal to me. Couple hours and a few beers..... GD