Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

EJ conversions - this is the best way to go with parts if you can’t get a donor


Recommended Posts

For all of those out there contemplating an EJ conversion, this is one of the reasons why buying a donor vehicle can be easier - especially for the first timer.  But with that said, this is how I've gone about it twice now - building a conversion from parts of several cars - why? Mainly because I've been given parts from some good mates which only require me to get the main bits like the engine and some supporting pieces that are needed for all conversions.  

Space constraints of renting can be prohibitive to having a donor vehicle on the property too.

So this is how I "bench" test my engine and cutdown loom (plus it's good fun). Loom was cut down last week and the test done this weekend gone. Everything wiring wise checks out.  Engine wise I have a code 35 (purge control solenoid valve) and no knocking on start up :D Now it'll get some preventative maintenance such as head gaskets while it remains out of the vehicle.

https://youtu.be/vBXrmIzWiZY 

I reckon @sparkyboy will wet his pants at this :P  and I kind of hope a few more of you will too (and be inspired to do your own conversions!).

I've since fitted a radiator and run it for a longer period of time.  I'm hoping to do this again later in the week, not that I have to, but I would like to see the light for the fan trigger to come on...

This will end up in my Brumby once both engine and vehicle are ready.

Cheers

Bennie

Edited by el_freddo
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bro I love that!

Homemade rack to support the maf? Wiring everywhere and the distinctive sound letting all the neighbors know that the world is flat

And just purring like yea brumby time fools hurry up and install me. Hauls azz what's the front posi situation? 

Boost for the brumby? 

The mullet chops are legit man, the hairstyle would suggest more than 2 ej swaps in 10 years!:P

I'll say this about my experience with the ej swap on my 86 gl three years ago, my Subaru and efi game were lightweight. I was glad to have a donor car, but the days of the cheap donor car running are coming to an end.

Good thing they built piles of these things, so in sube heavy areas here in the US finding a crashed one or junkyard engine is a piece of cake still.

The first gen legacys haven't bottomed out yet because of the large production,  and crappy grocery getter reputation, but they will be hot like the early integrals and 3rd gen f bodies. All it takes is a few gorgeous builds like some of these dudes ss and touring wagon builds, and the sema preview shows several mullet camaro.

For anyone with an L body just please buy an ej and put it somewhere if you are an ea purist. Then years later you can take your ea81 with Weber to buy another sube with a broken ea82 to slap the ej in.

If sube are scarce this swap involves little monkeying with the factory wiring, just the wiring for the gauges is needed, so putting the ea back in all polished like a jewel with turbo relocation kit for your attempt at best of show would be a bolt on affair.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's completely possible to piece together without a donor car. And if you know your way around the cars, it can be an excellent way to do it. I have several times.

BUT, I will still say that generally-speaking the best way (cheapest, lowest risk of failure, most complete) is a donor car.

 

 

I'm in the middle of a Lexus 1UZ 4.0l DOHC V8 swap for my 4Runner. I bought the engine out of a car, and could not hear it run. So I bench ran it before I bought almost any other parts for it. Those ECUs are notorious for having failing capacitors, so I replaced those, and bench ran it again to make sure it still worked. Then I coated an exhaust manifold and ran it again. All together, it's probably run about an hour on the stand.

 

Skip the first 10 minutes to hear it run.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not looking ...I have an EJ22 sealed in a box, an EJ20 in a Brumby, coupla ECUs and messy cut to bits looms all going nowhere while enjoy the 12 years of collecting and tinkering - my AWD ea82T Brumby :)

i may sneak back later to look

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/11/2019 at 6:18 AM, Numbchux said:

It's completely possible to piece together without a donor car. And if you know your way around the cars, it can be an excellent way to do it. I have several times.

BUT, I will still say that generally-speaking the best way (cheapest, lowest risk of failure, most complete) is a donor car.

Title of the thread updated to reflect this. 

Cheers 

Bennie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/11/2019 at 10:24 PM, Steptoe said:

I'm not looking ...I have an EJ22 sealed in a box, an EJ20 in a Brumby, coupla ECUs and messy cut to bits looms all going nowhere

Get on it Jono! Now is the time to be collecting bits for the Gen1 Liberty in my opinion. They’re still available in the yards, can be had for cheap on gumtree too atm. But like the L series, this is the death-nell for these vehicles being common and real easy to get parts for! 

 

I ran the engine today to show my dad. It’s sat for a week - and started no worries AND without any lifter tick. I’m pretty happy with it. 

The oil is milky so there’s a head gasket to be sorted but I was going to do that as a matter of preventative maintenance anyway. It didn’t take a lot of water, the sort of amount you’d expect for a cooling system that’s just been filled and run for the first time. 

Cheers 

Bennie

Edited by el_freddo
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎6‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 9:45 PM, el_freddo said:

Get on it Jono! Now is the time to be collecting bits for the Gen1 Liberty in my opinion. They’re still available in the yards, can be had for cheap on gumtree too atm. But like the L series, this is the death-nell for these vehicles being common and real easy to get parts for!

I was away at university while the EA81 was going through this, they only pop up on occasion, perhaps one every few months?  EA82s are still common enough in the yards that body panels aren't an issue, but finding EA82T-specific parts is about as easy as the EA81s, there just aren't many left...  XTs are a whole 'nother story, they've ALWAYS been hard to find parts for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, carfreak85 said:

I was away at university while the EA81 was going through this, they only pop up on occasion, perhaps one every few months?  EA82s are still common enough in the yards that body panels aren't an issue, but finding EA82T-specific parts is about as easy as the EA81s, there just aren't many left...  XTs are a whole 'nother story, they've ALWAYS been hard to find parts for.

Interesting. The EA81 is pretty much non-existent in parts yards unless the odd brumby pops up. I’ve had more luck with the EA81 in some yards around Adelaide in SA. Voretex is very rare and the L series - you might be lucky to find one in the yards on your travels. It’ll probably be auto too. They haven’t completely dried up but you’ve got to be patient! 

Cheers 

Bennie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it's getting tough.  If one pops up in the yard (EA81 or EA82T) I'll burn a day to check it out if it's within 150 miles of home.  We live in a region with little rust and a large population of Subarus.  There are a few areas like this in the U.S.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can, but it depends on the car and the yard, and even what state you live in.  A BRAT made it into one of my local yards a few months ago (shocking).  Normally that would be sold as a "builder" and would not even hit the lot.  When I mentioned to the cashier how surprised I was the BRAT made it to the yard, she told me that car had a death sentence from the state and could not be resold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, carfreak85 said:

When I mentioned to the cashier how surprised I was the BRAT made it to the yard, she told me that car had a death sentence from the state and could not be resold.

Sounds sinister and seems like it’s more of a reflection of the driver than the vehicle itself! 

I believe our police still have the powers to impound and crush vehicles under our anti-hooning laws. They usually go in stages with the penalty getting larger for each ongoing offence. Then at some point they repossess your vehicle and crush it - without it making it to the parts yard! 

And if you’re doing something really stupid or you’re a repeat offender in another vehicle they can go straight to crushing the vehicle. I believe this is under pretty extreme circumstances. 

We don’t hear about it happening often, but when the laws first came in the media were all over it! 

Cheers 

 Bennie

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's all politics, boys.

Here in CO in the old days you could buy a car from the jy and you will have a salvage title, so if one does the work, you can have a legal, registered car with a rebuilt from salvage title.

Those days are no more and I found out the hard way..I saw a beautiful 1965 corvair van RAMPSIDE! You know, the door that slides back typical van style, but also lowers onto the street so you can push a dolly or cart into the cargo area. Gm flat six in between the front seats, all there.

I ran to the manager to see how much...he told me it's no longer possible. Upon the sale to the junkyard, that title and VIN is considered "dead" and there is nothing you can do. 

I rarely do this, but I dejectedly wandered back to my camaro, put on some nofx and cried tears of sadness and anger. 

This was nearly a decade ago, I have been involved in local politics since. They changed the collectors vehicle law here briefly to be the most unfair in the entire country (1975 MY and earlier, with a grandfather clause that did not allow transfer of title)

I gathered signatures with the question is a DeLorean or Ferrari collectible? Lawmakers say it's not cause it was built in the 80s? Nonsense! 

The law has been changed. It's 32 years or older now.

My new petition is to eliminate the left turn red arrows. I have sat there and waited forever in heavy traffic while people could have gone, but it would have been breaking the law...

Am I unreasonable here? If you have the green it should be motherfu**cker YEILD! It would clear up so much congestion, there are simply too many people here now to sit there at a red left turn light while nobody approaches in the opposite direction. 

People here just wanna get high, shrooms are now decriminalized, so maybe someone not turning left in front of me is a good thing...

Sorry for the rant fellas, but if you can buy a car from the junkyard in your state, you are lucky.

And count your lucky stars, some states do not allow self serve junkyards.

Hoard ej22s!! Keep it up Bennie, we need more like minded people to spread awareness about unfair car laws worldwide!

Edited by sparkyboy
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fact of the matter is that not many ppl would buy cars from parts yards. It’s just those rare/valuable ones that get munched up by the system that I hate. 

As for the red light arrows, we’ve always had them and they’re not going anywhere! I was amazed when driving in California that you could turn right on a red as if it were a give way sign. If I’ve got that wrong blame every local that we saw do it!! Cool law though I reckon. 

Cheers 

Bennie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...