GeneralDisorder

Yeah - no break in. Just change the oil to get rid of the coolant. No need to remove the pan if it's not leaking. GD

No. That is only done durring break-in maintenance when the engine is new. And then only when you use head gaskets that require it. DO NOT touch your head bolts unless the engine has been rebuilt recently and you know what you are doing. GD

I think that was one of AA's builds - as in one of the guys that worked for/with them built it. Probably sold it when they started lifting Legacy's instead - but hell I don't know. Seems like I remember seeing it at one of the shows. It is what it is - I don't think the "history" would be that important. It's just another lifted EA82 wagon. People build these and then trade them or sell them when they find out they look cool but are too heavy, underpowered, and the gearing sucks. Intresting paint job though. Looks like it got in a fight with the VHS of Tron GD

Been here for years - there's lots of folks that know this stuff - just most of them don't post - probably don't type fast enough or don't care to share. That and I've lost count of how many Subaru's I've had. Oldest would be a '78 - newest - '00. I currently have a "fleet" of 8 as well as one lonely VW and a '69 GMC 3/4 ton (tow/haul rig). GD

Cool - though it gets the depth from the benefit of the Bronco frame and the Brat's frame rails plus the bronco's cross-member and solid axles. I'm sure it's a neat build but it's not "putting a V8 in a Brat" - it's skinning a bronco with the crapped out shell of a Brat...... there's definitely a difference. GD

Folks here in the states have done carbed 22's, yes. Modified manifold with a Weber and then use a Ford Escort distributor. It works - but I would rather transplant the EJ22's MPFI system as it's more robust and handles obscene angles off-road without a hitch where carbs have a nasty habit of dying on strange slopes when the float bowl won't function anymore. GD

A couple weeks ago I found my mother's 2000 Forester (236k) leaking an obscene amount of coolant from the driver's side head gasket - dumping it on the cross-member and exhaust. So I'll be tearing into that when I get a chance. No overheating till it loses enough coolant though - yay for Phase II's...... I guess :-\ But yes - your '97 has bad head gaskets. We see it a lot with that engine - as well as piston slap, bottom end failure, etc. If it's got high mileage trade the engine out for an EJ22 or just find another car. That engine has some serious drawbacks - which is sad considering the car's themselves are quite nice other than the abortion under the hood. GD

Basically - you describe the 22B. Which we didn't get . But we have the ability to make something similar since we have the block's. They are not - they are open deck. EA's are closed but those were the last non-turbo Subaru engine to use a closed deck design. Die-casting is cheaper and the EJ non-turbo was designed from the outset to be die-cast. The only exception to that rule was the (pre 96?) turbo's and the newer "semi-closed deck" stuff in like the EJ257, etc. From what I understand of those folks that build 22's and 22T's - the plain open deck block is just fine up to like 500 HP anyway. It was just overkill on Subaru's part - like the piston skirt oil sprayers - even the 22B did not have those but Subaru was so paranoid about putting the EJ22T into the US market they added them anyway. GD

Resistance isn't the problem.... well it is in a way. Max current capacity (ampacity) of the wire guage is the problem. Maybe it just causes a bit of heat at 110 amps through the stock wire - but if there is any kind of corrosion or a loose connection - 110 amps might well cause a fire where 70 did not. Could be borderline and I would run a second wire to supplement it just to be safe. 110 amps is a LOT of amps. Don't mess around with that much juice. GD

Yeah - I do love the closed deck 22T in my '91 SS. It's a whole different car to what most people know of gen 1 Legacy's. I just wish they hadn't neutered it with the US market heads. GD

GD

The system is designed to fire both plugs. The one on the exhaust stroke helps to burn any remaining fuel vapor and helps with emissions. In fact that was the original intention of the wasted spark system - so there was always a second spark on the exhaust stroke of each cylinder. Manufacturer's have continued to use it though as it is cheaper to produce since you save on the coil pack, ECU complexity, and wireing. At any rate - I've seen plug wires that were original equipment on first generation Legacy's with over 200k and near 20 years on them still working just fine. At what point do you just cut your losses and figure if the OEM set lasts that long why bother spending 3x as much for something I will replace once or may never replace? NGK wires seem to be very good for the price. I don't beleive they are the OEM but it's possible. The NGK sets I've used didn't look like rebranded OEM as is so common with aftermarket parts made by the same supplier as the OEM part. But NGK is large and may make them at different facilities or something. GD

I suppose it was both due to emissions laws as well as because I don't think Subaru thought they had a market for them here. There are a lot of factors - the last EJ turbo for the US market prior to the WRX was the EJ22T in the '94 Turbo Legacy. Pretty much I think Subaru figured they couldn't sell them. It may/may not have been a mistake but consider that fuel was cheap and we have a lot of powerful sports cars here already. Rally racing wasn't as popular back then, etc. The market didn't exist basically. Subaru eventually created the market with the success of the WRX and then eventually offered the STi to complement it. They still sell a lot more WRX's than STi's. GD

2004 was the first US model of the STi. Anything older than that and you have to get a RHD clip from europe or japan and that comes with it's own special set of problems (not to mention import and shipping costs). So - they are pretty prized over here since we have only had them for 6 years. Wrecked STi's that have a completely salvageable drivetrain go for a pretty penny. Hell - just the 6 speed's go for a couple G's typically. As for putting V8's into an EA81 body..... LOL. An EJ20/EJ22 leaves about the width of your hand between the crank pulley and the radiator. People have put H6's of various vintages into them and either moved the radiator to the top of the engine or done several smaller radiators off to the sides. Additionally the hood-line of the EA81's is a lot shorter than the WRX's and it would take a major redesign of the entire front end for the hood to close and the oil pan to not scrape the pavement with how tall a V8 would be in there. Could it be done? Sure it could. Wouldn't be a Subaru anymore and probably would only slightly resemble one. It would be a Brat shaped drag machine. Might as well build a tube frame and put Brat looking fiberglass on it. That would actually be easier. Oh - and this aint the kid that's going to do it either. Anyone want to take bets on that statement? GD

Hhhmmm - yes upon reflection it would seem that I have it backwards - it's 1/2 and 3/4 that fire together. The wasted spark needs to occur in the cylinder that is 180 degree's out of phase with the one that's on the compression stroke. So you probably could see an induced spark if the wires were bad enough and crossed closely enough. The EJ's have very neat and tidy routing though due to the coil pack being in the center of the intake manifold and as such they don't lend themselves to crossing easily like my Chevy SB. It doesn't change the fact that the OEM wires are both inexpensive and constructed with silicone and other materials that really just don't break down much. I have yet to find a bad OEM wire set that wasn't due to rust/corrosion on the plug ends - which can easily be averted with some dielectric grease. GD

Yep - that's me - big poopy head. So reality isn't your strong suit I see. You should definitely keep on dreaming and while you are at it give the search function a try. Kids these days! GD

Good luck with that - no one has ever done such a thing, and no Subaru transaxle short of the STi 6 speed would even handle that kind of power. I sugest you get real friendly with the search function as you have a very steep learning curve to approach something like an STi swap on an EA81 body. You don't even need to bother searching for LS1 swap info - it hasn't been done and never has been discussed here. STi wreck's are often VERY nasty. Even if you got the car for 2k, you would need a lot of replacement parts and the cost will still be much higher than what you bought the wreck for. An intact front clip from a USDM STi that was t-boned or rear-ended hard enough to be a total is not something you will find for 2k. Likely what you saw was a mess and would take several thousand more in parts to even use the drivetrain from it. GD

70 is pretty decent for a couple extra lights. I wouldn't run more than like 4 off it though. The stock alt's are designed to handle a larger stereo, CD player, small amp, as well as the optional fog lights that were availible through the dealer - all that is optional equipment designed to run off the stock alt. You should be fine if you are just running a single extra set of lights. If you are running with all the options, and two or more sets of lights, huge stereo amp, etc then a 90 or higher would be a good idea. Just remember that the main output wire from the back of the alt to the main junction as well as the juntion to posistive battery terminal should always be upgraded in addition to any circuits you are going to add for lights, etc. If the battery is drained it will draw as much current as the alt can give and if the stock wiring is built for a 70 and you install a 110 - you now have the potential to pull 110 Amps to the battery. The wireing may not like that. GD

Yes - EJ's are really easy to pull. You can have one out in less than an hour if you have done them before - maybe a couple hours if you are new to them. However - if you don't have easy access to a cherry picker and such, the heads will come off with the engine in the car. It does put a lot of strain on your back and as the other's here sugest it's much less work than you think to remove the engine. It also makes it a lot easier to service everything. I prefer to pull the engine, plug all ports and openeings, steam clean it, put it on the engine stand and do all seals, gaskets, etc before putting it back in. Things like the rear main, oil pan, and the knock sensor are much easier to get to with the engine out of the car so in the end it doesn't actually take any longer since the work is easier and goes faster with it out. Most rental places will rent you an engine hoist for a very reasonable daily fee. Like $15 or $20 a day. It's worth it if you have a place that you can use one and a way to haul it. And if you don't have that ability, you and a friend can pull the engine with a 4x4 and some chain. The whole engine assembly only weighs about 175 to 200 lbs. No problem for a couple guys and some structural lumber. Set the engine on an old tire and go to work. Many a succesful engine reseal/HG job has been done this way - you don't need expensive tools it just makes the job easier and faster. GD

Induction between the plug leads is a literal impossibility on the EJ's since they use a wasted spark "bank fired" ignition system. Both of the plug's in each head fire at the same time. One is on the exhaust stroke so accomplishes nothing but since both wires are carrying the same current from the same coil (the "coil pack" is really just two coil's molded into the same plastic case), they both have equal magnetic fields and thus no induction will occur to speak of. Oh - and since you haven't worked on an EJ, you probably aren't aware that the two sets of wires - 2 for each bank, are seperated by 5" or so on either side of the coil pack - so induction can't occur between say #1 and #2 cylinder's, etc. The plugs, wires, and all that are on seperate sides of the engine with the coil pack centrally located on top of the intake manifold. What you have to worry about is induction between the plug lead and any other sensor wiring nearby - which could cause erroneous readings in the ECU and cause phantom codes or odd behaviour, etc. Combating this is an excersize in good wire insulation and wire routing. If the stock wire routing is used, no additional insulation should be required - but I'm betting the OEM wires are a good bit better insulated even at their 7mm size than aftermarket 7mm stuff is - thus the need to go to larger wire sizes (more insulation) when you buy aftermarket wires. An 8mm aftermarket might have the same insulation levels as the stock 7mm. There's nothing saying the OD of the wire has to dictate the conductor/insulator sizing - manufacturer's can build them with more/less insulation depending on OEM requirements. GD

Depends on the maintenance the engine has received. If oil filter changes were ignored the pump could be torn up inside. Best to inspect and go from there. Just search on ebay for "Subaru Loyale Timing Belt" - should give you plenty of options. The kits are dirt cheap and since the belts only last an average of 50k it's cheaper just to do the aftermarket kit and replace all the components every time. You should replace the water pump at the same time - they are also very cheap and you will be pissed if it goes out shortly after you have done the belts. Don't forget the front cam seals and o-rings and the front main. GD

Restoration parts are not availible. You will have to buy/barter/beg/borrow/steal the parts from donor cars and Brats of similar vintage. If you are looking to do a full restoration you are looking at probably 3 to 5 years to find parts and/or parts cars, and an STi swap is going to be a serious affair - it's been done a handful of times thoughout the world (mostly in countries that had STi's long before we did and thus have an easier time with swapping them). You will be looking at a lot of time an money investment to do such a thing as well as custom fabrication and parts. Figure $8,000 to $10,000 for an STi front clip to donate and many thousands more for the restoration. GD

The trick is to use a Ford wrench. Most auto mechanic's don't own these and many don't know they even exist most likely. They are THE thing to have for large tube and pipe fitting though (the jaws open WIDE), and happen to be the right tool for this job as well. Crescent makes them in 9", 11", 15" and 18". The baby one is a really handy unit to own. It fits in the space of an 8" Crescent wrench but has the jaw capacity of about a 24" Crescent wrench. http://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Hand-Tools-C79H-Adjustable/dp/B000TDKE54/ref=pd_cp_hi_1 GD

That would be the Air Suction Valve spacer - most have a port on the side that connects to a 19mm diameter steel tube that runs to the ASV's. Some vehicles that only have a single ASV have "blank" spacer's that do not have the port drilled out. You should be able to heli-coil it or just oversize it with a tap to 7/16 x 20 and make/buy a new stud in that size. The spacer's aren't threaded in the stock configuration - the stud goes THROUGH the spacer and into the head. So your missing threads are either not missing at all, or you need to heli-coil the head. The 7/16x20 tap will make threads into the spacer as well as into the head - use a bottoming tap to get the last few and the thread a stud all the way up into the head. GD

I have a set of cables like that - handed down from my father. He had a lot of older vehicles through the years (still had 9 of them when I was born) and jumper cables was something he got sick of burning up and replacing - he went out and bought the biggest, most expensive set he could find - which cost him like $40 back in the 60's. They are long, and thick, and even the clamps have copper teeth in them. Wish I knew who made them. Still work good and they are my primary cables 40+ years after they were bought. Definitely US made. GD