SubaReDo

More update: Spent the better part of today working on the GL. Did valve adjustments then the engine went back in, intake, belt, hoses and wires, etc. all hooked up, fluids, charged batt.... and.... She fired right up! I cranked her a bit, then let her sit a minute, then cranked her again and vrooom! Shut it down pretty quick because the valve covers were hemorrhaging oil, I didn’t tighten them enough to get a good seal while the motor warmed up. I snugged up the bolts, let it warm up, and will re-torque the heads and install my new valve cover gaskets in the morning. Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow, but hope I can get done in time to go through the brakes and make her roadworthy sometime next week. Thanks again to all the folks who have asked and answered questions here, it has been much easier to get this far along with all the advice that is just here for the taking.

Update: I spent some time cleaning the used engine up, then getting it ready to replace top end gaskets. Looked like the front main seal was leaking, so I replaced it, and am debating a new oil pump seal kit because I can’t tell if it was leaking too. Not sure where to source that, any tips would be appreciated. I ended up with a mix of oem and Fel-Pro gaskets for everything else, and am grateful for all the advice I’ve found digging through these threads. Sourcing the recommended parts has been pretty easy- In addition to the gasket set, I have new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor, a new fuel filter, and an auxiliary wiring harness for future accessories. Now that I’m thinking about it, I should probably look over all the hoses and clamps and get replacements for any iffy ones ordered. The only real trouble I have run into came in the form of an exhaust bolt broken off in a cylinder head, but I used an ez-out and freed it without doing any damage. Aside from that little side quest, everything has come apart, cleaned up, and has gone back together nicely so far. I’ll make valve rail spacers in the morning so I can torque the heads on, then get the intake manifold and carb back on tomorrow after work. Hopefully I can get the rest of the out-of-the-car assembly done and my get harness wired up this weekend. That leaves next week to clean & prep the engine bay and bolt the motor back in it. So maybe two more weekends and my little GL will be whole again, then another couple weeks hooking up wires/hoses and getting it running right, and dinking around with any little basics it needs to drive around town for shakedown. I think I’m at the stage now where the list starts getting shorter, so that’s nice...

Such a great variety of opinions, thanks to everyone who replied. I don’t really want to daily this car, it’s more for the odd snowy commute or camping trip, and to teach my wife to drive a stick. Anyway, my problem kinda fixed itself. As I was debating, I found a recently-running ea81 for cheap. Looks like I’m going to want to do head gaskets, etc. and won’t have to split the case, but I’m pretty busy for the next couple weeks and won’t know more until I can spend some time checking it out. Hopefully I’ll have a first drive picture post up by later this summer.

Hi all, thanks in advance for any tips you can offer. I’m not an experienced auto mechanic, but I can follow directions, work with tools, etc. I have a 1984 GL wagon, 4sp w dual range 4wd, 180k miles, that I acquired from a neighbor for cheap. It’s somewhat beat up, but I really like it- if you’re here I’m sure you understand the appeal. I’m lucky enough to live in Portland so Subaru parts and shops are relatively plentiful. I am willing to spend a little more than is rational, but don’t want to get too carried away. The car came to me with a bad engine knock. I tore the motor down and found the #2 rod bearing was very dead. Crank and cam look pretty bad, I’m guessing they’re irreparable, and there were bits of bearing in the oil pan. The block looks good, considering- a couple of the main bearings were a bit beat up, but didn’t seem to have spun or otherwise marred their seats. I don’t have the experience to do the ej swap, nor is the car clean enough to put that kind of money into. My initial plan was to find a used ea81 to plunk in there, but I’m not having much luck finding a viable runner. Now I’m wondering how these engines do after being rebuilt after rod bearing failure. Is it even worth looking into sourcing parts and having the block bored/decked? If I’m going to go to all the trouble, should I just start with a $300 junkyard engine that probably didn’t have as big a problem as mine did? The other option I see is to sell off the Weber and other decent parts for about what I have into the car, and start over with a different car. I really like the ea81 wagons and definitely want one, and am not afraid of doing some work to make one go. What do you recommend I do? Thanks again!