1987 subaru: dual range

[Barry Donovan]

little ford ranger

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my neighbor spotted a ranger, little stepside single cab 2x4.
$1200

frame was still good, mounts. 2001 model.
164k miles on the wobbly v6 automatic.

I want to hack and cram my subaru into it.. just change the rear to a 3.9 gear.
the hack would be keeping the subaru front transaxles.

these subarus have a crossmember like mustangs etc.. you unbolt to drop it out.
I had seen the subaru hack on a mazda pickup.. newer fatter motor, still fit in the little rails.

I laughed to think I would have it installed in one day.

Would love to fulfill this thought..



5 below out there...under the bright moon. Have not seen above zero in .. it is past 24 hours now anyway.
stayed below zero all day.

march 11. wow.


march 12. 240 pm.

with the little battery jumper gadget I got back from dad I went and started it up after 12 days.
It may be the most impressive carbed machine I have ever encountered...and I built it.
The slow whirl was that of the pace of a human heart,
thump thump................................thump thump......................thump thump.
kaboom.
right into high idle.
that last I heard a start like this was a dodge 360 in the 80s.

Notable events with the 12 day pause, are the extreme cold.
about 30 hours below zero, until 840 am this morning broken it into single digits. Wind is still howling. Very cold outside.
There are cold records broken.
pumped up a tire with the little booster, as it did not need a boost.. in fact, never popped the hood.
moved it ahead and back, pumped the brakes. Tranny fluid is quite thick...but doing good.

looking forward to the weld on the back left, and a good long ride....that will be in june.

[Barry Donovan]

a boxer of thee day

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inspired by the great african safari rally (brutal)

If you thought this was rough, imagine that little 1985 turbo subaru with a cam that misfired one cylinder at all times.

the engine I took in is exactly the engine they ran in the safari. The mystique is finding it in a high end sports car basement in Sebring Florida.

it is lke amilitary mission with no reward and working with stuff that was not meant for it.
A battle that never existed, with shame in memory.. only tough guys and minds in the end.

I am glad they revived a similarity.

the 953 was inspired by the great safari. Balance was all manual, they'd set ballast in real time with jugs of fluids etc, while enroute.
today that is a virtual viscous diff run by a computer... Even subaru fell for that today (since the 90s).

[Barry Donovan]

another crazy soob.

[Barry Donovan]

true story

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they not only scrapped the six, they went back in time to thrown in a 4 cyl boxer.

today they can monitor every head, injector.. all four have equal air, and it is self balanced.

must be worth the money.

I had also heard the 6 seems to run smoother, not sure how.
A four cyl does have to grab a zero time, that pause may be allowing prop to feed a shutter in the millisecond gaps of each fire into power..
Other than that.. the four cyl is in fact the super smoothy.

I bet a turbo would help. Not a hot rod turbo, I mean achieve the same power, but with a turbo used for carrying the zero time.

[Barry Donovan]

back to normal you tube replies.

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claiming to be first front flip.

I made it a habit, years ago.
"the" 87 subaru comment.

[Barry Donovan]

going famous...

20000 views in 24 seconds.

I just watched the 718 episode on motor trend.
I do not like that narrator.
cargos lala.. whatever.

after stating it is the sixth fastest car tested at willow springs..

on four cylinders of boxer four mathematical orgasmic royalty...

he sneaks in these twiddly from an island ghetto statements that create a worthless paradox.

I like the color they chose.. it is like my animation.

If to go four banger, i'd have to pay too much for the 718, else, I am never owning one again.. unless a modern suabru comes across too cheap to ignore.
that is indeed how I took on almost-a-beetle project 21 years ago.
done my way, I knew that engine was ten times bigger even with a wobbly bad cam.

the motor trend video will show up on you tube later on.. I like spending the 5 bucks for the subscription, get shows ahead.

[Barry Donovan]

been awhile

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I guess I let a month go by this time.
started right up.
took it down the road.

blog post 1300 something. Ninth year this year with the journal.

last snowstorm gone by.
we hit 55F today. First time in a long time, the real spring version anyway. Days are longer.

piles are getting smaller.
sparked it up took it down the road. looking forward to welding the stabilizer.. possibly scab some other pieces.



the drive train can go a very long day. I just might do so.

the sound tells me everything. I could take it back to alaska where it came from.

will surely go frankenstein on the last welds. This tin can cannot move a quarter inch in any body direction, else the doors will be bothered, the hood etc.
I made a brick out of the weakest most difficult parts.

these next welds.. real easy.
the stainless 304 on rockers.. by far the most rewarding body chore since my version of GMC frame rails.

[Barry Donovan]

april 17

a little bit of snow left.



I do not recall the latest snow dates.
this is hanging on by a few weeks beyond the norm.

I see some below freezing temps in the forecast.

the frankenstein weld plan is drawn out, looking forward to it.
Something different I wanted to do this year, is try a 40A generator (120v)
thick cord etc.

The engine runs damn good, everything feels normal. I'll just get in it and show up some place too far from home, on a good summer day.

[Barry Donovan]

the 87 subaru was first at this.
it gets no credit.

[Barry Donovan]

90F in may

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blog #1343

Loves this weather. Sat for some time again.
a few seconds on the starter, away it goes.



pollen flying with a vengeance. Spring skipped right over...very cold into may.

Looking forward to welds. Engine sounds great, everything is working.

I must make an effort to see the 120-140hp on the dyno.
I made some simple history, my way.
Will weld in some strong hooks for the back.. dyno straps to hook onto.
a 2 inch band clamp, keep a header connection forgiving..

inspect it over, add whatever.
This will need a trailer, hauling it backwards, due to the stabilizer bar wiggling.. driver side rear.
about a 30 minute weld job. Biggest chore is hauling it for safety

the sound, and 35mpg...
it is no wonder I took off for hours and hours at a time.
I have not surpassed the 1356 miles and 13 states of 2006 with a loyale injected..
this one would be way more fun to try.

bigger everything. Tires could hang on to a full 12 hour day.

didn't forget the old sube.
this is seriously in a neutered realm to just pull up to any car meet.
The sound alone is a conversation point.
Any longer term soob guru would look twice and even stare.

[Barry Donovan]

older subarus together.
Remembering Colin Mcrae.

to realize generation of rally, being a kid in wonder..
for me it is the 80s subarus. the first RX etc.

that story is too embarrassing for subaru apparently. I found the problems so simple as an engine builder..
they should not be ashamed.

it was one camshaft away from "oh my god" status. I think the fear they had, became the fear of history they hide today.
I will not be a true fan, as long as that is in place.
wimps.

[Barry Donovan]

inspecting steel.

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this is bad.
rocker is 5 layers, I was plucking chunks out at the bottom of the arch root..
the odor is that of old aged hydrochloric.

my new channels etc.. all challenged.
I may be taking a huge loss on this..and let it go.

it does have plenty of power for the 2.2 chassis, little outback sport buggies. Same weight category.
may be someone wants to add some dual range to a popular chassis.

it even gave me the same sick stomach as my first welds ten years ago.
it never left it.
had it hacked open entirely.

it may be the end of my one and only ricer venture.

[Barry Donovan]

car trailer

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looking over more metal for welding chores.. the front made something disappear as well. I only have about 100 miles on the 100+ hp motor.
The torque value must be going past factory. this boxer squares up like many old smallblocks.
I even have my own welds missing.

I was thinking I could uhaul it backwards on a dolly... but now am second guessing.

I'll be asking some neighbors about trailers first anyway.


$1400

I am liking this one. Craigslist has tons of the car haulers.. 2 inch ball.
This one stuck out as my favorite for the day.

Even my xcab or beyond can fit on this 16foot.

holding myself back...

[Barry Donovan]

other n/a subarus

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I was realizing my nerd pile of efforts..
no way in hell a weld and rust chunks exploding on I-95 is going to hinder my motivation.


inspecting more steel, I took a dig right into structure this time.
I only have 100miles on the motor.
the rear diff fluid spewed black..total breakdown.

the spec clutch does not lose.

I was looking closely at this one...

twin throttle 2.5..of course it is silly, so is mine.
I give it thumbs up.
I am seriously contemplating on seeing what I have done at a track.

I have the tallest geared subaru ever made, on 15 inch tread. 75mph is 78.
3rd gear limiter is 90...it sounds like it is doingnothing in a video, until even the wind noise becomes a give away. the speedo nearly comes to a halt at 78...I have to go by tachometer.
I think I backed that off, according to my last videos romping on it.
82mph for third.

I do not know the end of the speed part.. it gets hairy with chunks of rear framing exploding off it bouncing around on the ground in the rear view mirror as I slow down to the wobble.

that is where this left off...november 2016.
A back road outright cracked the stabilizer bar connection.. gimped home at 25mph.

I wonder if I got some kind of record here, to be proven.

the 1 barrel subaru.

I also did a 90mph run from about orono maine to howland, with traffic. I just stayed with a quick row.
tippy toe on throttle, barely any throttle needed. That is peak of draft.
3600... 90mph even. It still had enough to accelerate noticably with all my tools and welder in it.
my only fast run. That was 50 miles of my 100.


will get back to experiments, after going frankenstein welds. No more respecting subaru rear tube at all...the last pieces are gong my way, like the rest of it already is.
I am just going to go with the old outline, and magnify strength many many times over.

....
ok,
analyzed in minutes.
the rear left has the higher perfomance 3 piece bearing. I specifically wanted the rear left to be the anchor..as that is the way the physics unfolds on runtime on this one. The rear left is pulverized.. infinitely.

I must have anchored it alright.. now I need to assymetric the connection for stabilizer.
it all makes sense..
It has been ten years to forget some of the 12 hour welding days with this thing.
I narrowed it down like I intended..should not have trusted that last stabilizer connection. That was the last factory connect.
I guess it has to be all mine.. "meeting or exceeding oe specifications."

[Barry Donovan]

subaru loyale

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I was looking for the loyale chassis, as the arch roots in the rear have changed. this leaves the wheel tucked too much to the front..but much more reliable. More strength.
Even the 2wd hung on very good.. with bad wheel bearings.





my 85-87 looks correct, but the geometry needed is into 1/2 ton chevy territory.(not kidding)
I'll stop complaining once I spark up the old mig..
I am in a spell before chore sighing and laziness.

the loyale got some changes for the static value of 10.2 to 1, cold shot of fuel at 15psi for the TBI.
even the rockers hang on much much longer.

It would be less than half a day to have this in dual range..
the other problem is loyales shipped at 3.7 diff gears.. as they had more power.3.9 was the racer realm, or towing...(just like america.)

oh well.
I see warm days coming. Will get the tractor trailer suby up and running with what its got.

meanwhile in central america..