I am looking for the cheapest EA81 rebuild kit that has pushrods included. I've been to NAPA, but they are not sure what their kits include and they would have to order one because they don't have any in stock. Other than that, none of the other auto parts stores around carry them =( Anyone who has purchased one of the NAPA kits please let me know what it contains!

 

All the sites on the net seem to be catering to airplane guys (i.e. forged pistons, chrome moly pushrods, etc. . WAY to much $$).

 

I'm looking to spend $250 or less and get:

-Seals and gaskets

-Waterpump

-Oil pump rebuild kit

-Pushrods

-Wrist pins

 

Obviously I would like to get, but dont absolutely need:

-Bearings

-Pistons

-Connecting rods

 

Any leads would be much appreciated

C'mon, I know a ton of guys on this board have re-built EA81's

Someone's got to have a lead on a kit!

 

To the TOP!

bishop,

 

I rebuilt an EA82T and bought my gaskets, seals etc from Schucks(i think they are Kragen and Checker in other parts of the country. I got a Felpro gasket kit and I am very happy with it. It is very complete, in fact I have left overs.

 

I bought Rings (perfect circle) and bearings (beck arnley) at Napa.

 

Sorry, I don't remember the prices but I do know it was the cheapest that I could piece together locally.

 

If any of your needs are SOA parts (wrist pins, push-rods perhaps), check out 1stsubaruparts.com. A NW subaru dealer that sells really cheap on-line genuine SOA parts.

 

Bottom line is that every complete kit I looked into was expensive and had a bunch of extra crap that I didn't need.

 

gluck

Bish:

 

You may be better off putting together your own rebuild "kit". In fact, you may not have a choice. I don't know that anyone sells ALL the parts you'll need for a complete rebuild in one package.

 

I may have some EA81 gaskets I can sell you if you want to save $$. I'll have to check and make sure of what I have. Email me if interested.

 

thealleyboy@yahoo.com

John

Why you need pushrods?

Yeah - I wondered the same. Rods are going to cost you. And I haven't seen a complete gasket set for under $90 or so. I would get a set of rods from another engine if you need some. Wrist pins aren't a normal replacement either - those usually last a long time.

 

You'll probably find the bottom end is pretty sloppy - main bearings and rod bearings are usually the first go in the EA81's internally.

 

GD

Thanks for the reply's guys. Every little bit of info helps. I've got the motor down to the short block right now, and I had originally intended only to do a head gasket job on it. I have a complete head gasket kit (intake gaskets, carb gasket, exhaust gaskets, head gaskets, valve stem seals, etc. . .), but after tearing it down this far it looks like it could use a complete rebuild. The bottom end has approx 235K on it, and the cylinder walls look totaly smooth, no sign of the factory cross hatching. Also, all the internal passages have some pretty incredible corosion going on that looks evil, and that includes the pushrods. They are not exactly pitted (they are aluminum), but they have some THICK buildup on them that is not coming off with the usuall cleaners. I dont want to hit them with a wire wheel because I think it would be doing more damage than repair. I haven't had the chance to mic the cylinder walls, but once I do I'll be able to order pistons from a local engine shop if I need to.

 

Right now I am looking to crack the block, spec out the cam, check out the bearing play, clean everything up the best I can, and THEN decide what other parts need to be replaced. Thats why I'm looking for a real basic kit, but I KNOW I want to replace those pushrods. They look like crap.

 

Let me know if you think of any other sources for parts, but it seems like the general concensus is that I will have to piece it together.

 

Thanks again

I pieced together most of mine. But the bearings were pretty bad inside my motor. I'm trying to find bearings for a reasonable price currently.

Right now I am looking to crack the block, spec out the cam, check out the bearing play, clean everything up the best I can, and THEN decide what other parts need to be replaced. Thats why I'm looking for a real basic kit, but I KNOW I want to replace those pushrods. They look like crap.

 

Thanks again

 

coated with what? sludge,carbon and other crap At the machine shop I work at if a few hours in barsaw doesn't help put them in some simple green or something with citric acid base that will usually do it try it before you get new ones see how they clean up and a greeny pad works wonders

I can't believe people are still posting to this thread. I ended up tearing the shortblock all the way down. I had to get a couple specialty seals from some enthusiasts (board members) and the block, rocker arms, pushrods, and other irreplaceable parts went to the local engine shop for a good cleaning. I had them hone out the bore, and I bought bearings and rings from them as well. I think I spent under $200 for all that work, then I just put it all back together.

 

The engine ran fine, but I always had problems with the carb. The stupid electronic choke on those old Hitachi's were a joke. However, it was my reliable daily driver for another two years or so. I finally sold it to a local kid who took it up to Washington I think.

 

EA81's were great motors if they only would have made a EFI kit for them . . .

I am looking for the cheapest EA81 rebuild kit that has pushrods included. I've been to NAPA, but they are not sure what their kits include and they would have to order one because they don't have any in stock. Other than that, none of the other auto parts stores around carry them =( Anyone who has purchased one of the NAPA kits please let me know what it contains!

 

All the sites on the net seem to be catering to airplane guys (i.e. forged pistons, chrome moly pushrods, etc. . WAY to much $$).

 

I'm looking to spend $250 or less and get:

-Seals and gaskets

-Waterpump

-Oil pump rebuild kit

-Pushrods

-Wrist pins

 

Obviously I would like to get, but dont absolutely need:

-Bearings

-Pistons

-Connecting rods

 

Any leads would be much appreciated

 

hi, the push rods for hydrolic lifters are not the same as the ones for solid lifter , so be sure what you order is the type you need !

EA81's were great motors if they only would have made a EFI kit for them . . .

 

I do know that people use the EA82's fuel injection system on the EA81. Last week I read an article online complete with photos, specs and all. It looked about as easy as an efi swap gets. The only difficult part is weeding out all of the unused stuff from the wiring harness. The rest appears to be pretty much bolt on. Definitely simpler than the 5.0 efi swap I did in a 62 Falcon.

Edited January 20, 201115 yr by raging squirrel