Wannabebrat

Update: sooooo, after reading another forum about ignition lock cylinder replacement I was able to remove the lock cylinder from the ea82 switch I had, and put it in the ea81 housing that was on the car. The ignition switch matched perfectly, and well as the lock cylinder. The only problem was the small "dog bone" piece of metal that turns the ignition switch when the key is turned. The original was just to short, but I was able to fabricate a similar piece that was just a bit longer with some scrape metal and a grinder. Now the ignition takes a key and turns over just like a real car! I will try to post pics later. I did use the drilling the small pin method and just replaced that with a small screw. Also as far as the fuel pump....it has been working fine. I believe my original problem was in the fuel pump wiring harness, not the blue and yellow wire harness that runs to the ignition switch. Best I can tell that harness that leads to the switch is just a door chime of some kind and is not necessary. After driving the car around the farm a little I had a fuel problem again...so I used the wires I had ran to bypass everything and hook fp straight to the batt and boom fired right up. So when I got it home I adjusted the prongs on the fp wire harness coming from the car and cleaned it really good. Hooked it back up and its been working ever since....knock on wood.

Just fyi it was the water pump. Ordered a new one and started removing the old one. 4 or of the 5 bolts twisted off, so I removed the radiator and started trying to get them out with easy outs...no dice. Right when I had made up my mind that I was going to have to drill them out completely and tap the block, by pops had the idea to basically destroy the wp housing and it worked! Took an air chisel and began to chip away at the metal around the mounting bolts. After we got them all broken pretty good we were able to pry the water pump away from the block and remove it. Then I just backed the bolts out with pliers and got new ones from automotive fasteners. New water pump went on easy, and after letting gasket seal set up for 24 hours she was good to go. cycled water perfectly and did not over heat.

Okay that confirms what I was thinking. There are no signs of water in the oil so I'm thinking it must be coming from the water pump and just appears as though it's coming from the oil pump. Every single one of the water pump bolts was so rusted they broke off except one so I'm sure it needed replacing. I have a new one ordered once I get it on I'll let you know what happens.... Thanks again

Okay so today I was about to go out for a drive so I started the car to let warm up a little. After stepping away a few minutes I noticed the voltmeter was not reading because the belt wasn't spinning therefore the water pump wasn't spinning and I had some slight overheating. shouldn't have been anything crazy but then I noticed some coolant leaking I assumed came out of the overflow spout on the radiator. After putting it in the garage I noticed coolant leaking from under the car that seems to be coming from the oil pump housing right around where the oil filter goes. At first I assumed it was the water pump but I inspected it quite a bit and it almost seems like fluid is oozing out of the bottom of the oil pump near the filter. Is this even possible? What does this sound like to you guys?

Okay so today I was about to go out for a drive so I started the car to let warm up a little. After stepping away a few minutes I noticed the voltmeter was not reading because the belt wasn't spinning therefore the water pump wasn't spinning and I had some slight overheating. shouldn't have been anything crazy but then I noticed some coolant leaking I assumed came out of the overflow spout on the radiator. After putting it in the garage I noticed coolant leaking from under the car that seems to be coming from the oil pump housing right around where the oil filter goes. At first I assumed it was the water pump but I inspected it quite a bit and it almost seems like fluid is oozing out of the bottom of the oil pump near the filter. Is this even possible? What does this sound like to you guys?

Hey man this is awesome thanks for sharing! After running my brat for a few days I had a belt issue that stopped the water pump from running for just a few minutes. Slight overheating but didn't seem to be a big deal. When the car stopped it seemed as though coolant was coming out of the oil pump housing. At first I thought it may be the water pump gasket but it seems as though it's oozing out around the bottom bolts of the oil pump where the oil filter screws in. Does this sound right? Can I pull that oil pump off and replace the gasket and hope that fixes it? Would it even make sense for coolant to be coming from this area? I've been reading through my manuals but any ideas you have would be helpful as it seems like you just went through it. Thanks again Cheers

I was thinking the exact same thing seems like I could get the motor for about the price of what the carb would be lol. Is the conversion super difficult? I have a buddy who is a motor mechanic that could help. I mainly worried about the wiring. Seems as though the guy that makes the lift will do the connectors and all for you and label them for like 300 bucks you think it's worth it?

Awesome thanks for the info! Was the EJ22 conversion worth it? I'm contemplating just doing that because it seems like I could get one fairly inexpensively. Will any EJ22 work? Are you running a EA81 trans or ea82?

So I now have both the 85 and 86 starting and running, and I am driving the 85 pretty regularly....and man do I love that thing. So far I have be nothing but impressed. I want to get going on some upgrades and I wanted you guys input. So I am planning to buy the four inch lift from https://www.sjrlift.com/collections/ea81/products/4-ea81 unless there are better options? Once I get the lift installed I plan to do the 6 lug conversion and get some larger tires....what size could/should I run? I also want to add some power to help with the larger tires so I was thinking about pulling the trigger on a weber 32/36 carb...worth it? Any suggestions on where I should get one? If I do get the carb I think it would make sense to upgrade/modify the exhaust, but I wasn't able to find much info in threads. What would you guys suggest to maximize power if I get the new carb. Hows it sounding so far? Any other ideas or tips on things I definitely should or shouldn't do?

So I just hooked the fuel pump back up that was hanging for testing reasons, once I got it connected to the bracket and everything set up ready for a test drive the car wouldn't start anymore.... Any ideas with that clip is on the ignition switch housing? I'm thinking it may be a grounding issue since the only thing that seems to have changed is the fuel pump body touching the bracket?

I know you're trying to sell them all together but if you have a e82 5-speed I would love to get my hands on one. just let me know I'd be happy to work something out. Thanks!

Awesome man please do keep this going! I have a feeling I'll end up in the same boat one day soon and this thread and especially videos will be appreciated.

I guess I should have been more clear, I don't know Jack about Subarus! this is my first one lol. I'll put it this way if name and '80s model turbo was final Jeopardy I would be SOL. I can do some research and find a list I'm sure, I just didn't know if they were popular models that may be more likely to be found in junk yards or find aftermarket parts for. Thanks again for the help I'll start looking!

does anybody have any idea why the connector pictured was keeping my car from running? It's running now which is great but I'd like to know why it wouldn't run with that connector hooked up for the future.... Thanks

Hey so I looked up a conversion manual from this site and it appears the backing plate is the main part and everything else is pretty similar...I was able to find rotors for the front pretty easy, and finally got some new calipers on the way. So if I can find the backing and mounting plate could I find most of the other parts after market so its all new stuff? What model turbo would you recommend to use for the conversion? Like a popular model that may have more aftermarket options. I have already ordered stuff to replace the rear brakes...new shoes, springs, wheel cylinders, everything I could find replacements for....but I could always take them back if the conversion stuff is easy to find. Thanks again!