Finally back on track

Needing room in the garage for more important things (read motorcycles), I've finally begun to button up the loose bits under the bonnet. With the engine mostly reassembled and accessories bolted on, it's time to address the electrical wires and vacuum lines. Taking detailed pictures before disassembling makes all the difference when putting it all back together again.

Until next time, and the next pint!

More reconstruction progress

The valve covers, water pump and some timing bits went on this evening over a bit of Sam Adams' Cream Stout. I'll update these posts with pics as soon as I find the time.

Until then...

Engine reassembly started

I finally found some free time (and motivation) to begin reassembling the engine. I pulled the engine off the transmission and rotated it forward to get to the oil pan gasket. After replacing that, and reinstalling the engine block, I began to work on the heads and cam housings. Now that those are done, I'm about to put the valve covers back on and work on the top side. I'm not looking forward to the wiring and hoses, but I'll get through it eventually...

Slow progress

Not much free time to dedicate to the wagon lately. I've been gathering parts and reading about Subaru's more recently, not wanting to go out in the cold garage much...

Another step completed today...

I finally cleared out some space in the garage to work on the wagon. It's tight, but it'll do. I mostly want light and heat this winter. That should help get me motivated to work on the thing...

Up next, getting a water pump, PCV valve and an oil pan gasket...

Both cylinder heads are removed and waiting on my work bench for re-installation.

Driver's side cylinder head and cam housing removal

The driver's side cam housing came off easy enough... I rounded off one of the three 10mm bolts holding the timing gear on... After removing the housing from the car, I took it in to the garage and mounted it in the bench vise. I used my Dremel to grind the head down to a 9mm. This was not as difficult as I had imagined it would be. I just kept grinding and using my micrometer to check my progress. When it was as close as possible, I tapped the socket on the bolt lightly with a hammer. One easy nudge and it came right off, then into the trash! I guess that is a byproduct of trying to do this much work to the engine without removing it from the car...

More to come when I find free time!

Right-side cylinder head removed

I spent the afternoon working off and on, drinking seems to slow me down somewhat...

The cam housing came off fairly easily, giving a good view of the cylinder head. When removed, the cam housing dropped the rockers to the ground. I did not expect that, but how does one keep them in place when reinstalling the cam cover?



The cylinder head also came off easily, but having the engine on a stand in the garage would have made things simpler. I could have used my air impact. I lost my 17mm socket for the 1/2" drive and had to go out and get another... I thought I might break something using a 3/8" drive.



Once I got a look at the bottom of the head, I could see where oil and coolant had been leaking slightly over time, making a sticky mess. Everything looks good enough to me to simply replace the gaskets and go on. The engine has an unknown number of miles, but shows little sign of abuse or excessive wear.

I like the little EA82, but FI would have been nice. For the price, I am not going to complain. If I get to a point where I really like the Soob and want to have it more reliable or powerful, I may get a JDM EA82 turbo or do an EJ conversion, maybe even reinstalling the rear drive.

I do feel confident, as I have supervision on the project.