1987 subaru: dual range

[Barry Donovan]

signature change

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not for forum posts..I am referring to the buggy.
a whiff of the right side power steering, the hitching getting slower and slower each runtime..

I finally remembered something...
this car does not change right away in the engine..in relation to power fed and the way it disperses. Power steering always did show me that one.
I am now near 3 times bigger, proper fusing, charging...first spring/summer to move some heat.

I still call this a young engine, the original would have taken until july.
With each runtime, first thing to notice..no odors at all. I have now concluded all the other plug wire scenarios are little pigs.
the 8.8 modern wonder is doing nice things.

Still holding back for the longer trips, I want to slam the signature yet again with stainless 304 sheets..and the new stainless pipes. I am only going to leave the tail pipe (it is straight) the cheap metal, as that has a chance to bang into things...and it also hides that it is a bigger runtime, by staying at 2.25 for the last 18 inches.
the rockers, strut tower area in the back, lower rear quarters.. and possibly the outer rear end tube, both sides...to be 304 stainless.

Tricky stuff heading for 3 decades. The original steel would be anodized carbon making a difference just due to age. A big drama to add is 42 pounds of mig weld or more.. real american gauge steel sizing, etc. in all the square footage it gobbled up.

the funniest story ever on this subject, and this car, was taking those snapping center 13 inch wheels off and putting on the pegueot tank 15 inch rally alloys. Wow.
took right off, and still that way today. I blew both rear brake lines first trip out.

I ponder what the shiny 304 rockers will do. That is the last "hot spot", along with the rear wheel wells and lower quarters.

almost done, even into the lower level nerdy stuff. I can really call it done after this.
************

update on the big insurance swap..

the lady at the other end was impressed with 9 years continuous, not a single missed payment.

that is 108 months.. faultless. Beyond the book value of a typical aging 87 subaru.
I then explained I found half the rate someplace else.. she still did not listen, as I have tried to explain to geico in the past, they are over double some other companies.. still no listen.

finally said goodbye, and they are giving a 1 month refund apparently.. I paid one month ahead for each payment.

lesson from this.. really do shop around, and avoid salespeople, find direct through internet. Geico was supposed to be a champ at this, and they are not.

[Barry Donovan]

deep breath

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working to full warm, a hot steam pipe smell..after slamming on the brakes.A bit tangy on the lungs..almost a burn tingle.I got the same odor from my house a/c not long ago...did not come back. I knew it was this parking spot, and then some...this building has a lot to do with it.

I am misjusticed here to the point, I know there is a curse.

that is a nuke byproduct, I could only guess. Safe parking spot now, this chore is clearing right out for the last time.
I knew it left the car today after that odor. The oem plugs bring a smoothness in the exhaust, no snappy noises.
this is the first summer for the thick flanges if I recall.
27 years never had an exhaust system all normal.
a few items this summer are in that realm..

I look back at disbelief sometimes.
Not much left to do. After all those chores.

My latest goal for this is one long trip. One way.

tim mcgraw concert shaking the building, not just audible. that is at least a mile and half away. I wish this place would just go with the 2 mile landslide into the penobscot and get it over with...after I am gone of course.

edit: I guess I put the header ends in last may. The oem spark plugs must be the big win to notice them now. Very nice. A car to drive.
reading up on geico..there is more than one entire state defending the people.
new jersey found they were rating customers on education level.
california demanded a 10.7% decrease..
and washington state outright fined them and to refund people.

maine has had these losers in the past...companies disappear.
according to national average.. I was indeed a doubled over, no reason but crook.
The rates I found now, national average.
if they refunded half of the 9 years to be a normal bill.. it is still more than 5 times the original the cost of my subaru.

I had mentioned the freak chemistry plowing through this neighborhood of most intense radon on the continental united states...

I had to stop cooking, breads, no confection sugars or flour..
look what is moving in up top of the hill.

http://bangordailynews.com/2014/05/30/news/bangor/developer-confirms-chipotle-restaurant-in-bangor-to-be-located-on-stillwater-avenue-site/

leave it to the lost mexican to be the final TnT of this city.
I am outta here if it means half nekkid on a one wheeled scooter.

[Barry Donovan]

pc screw and a knife

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my little knife. I carry it everywhere.
multipurpose.
I use it for many things.
the fancy star screw was loose, and would not stay tight.

little tiny screw.

swapped it for a stainless pc screw, cranked it down.
the blade is suddenly sharper, the cuts more precise, my hand does not have to grip as hard.
indirectly..this screw is the strength of the blade, the bridge to the hand working it.

someone teach ricer land this, beyond my analogy..the world will be a stronger safer place.

you can slap a big engine in a sardine can..but something mushy is going to stink.
this knife is an 87 subaru.

I was just looking over the buggy, hood vents, real small..in action in the hot sun. It occurred to me how still I made this chassis. the original pig in a blanket just wallows, like this neighborhood shaking all hours of the day.

I am looking forward to the stainless rockers, lower quarters, like my best running GM cars had for trim. Just need strong undercarriage first..those go into action, a pleasant surprise if you are achieving power. A modern alternator, the sube may not notice..but I know better, the invisibles will still like it.

it has been fun to mix in the older real realm to where this carburated car was left off, stumped even at a corporate level.
Not as easy as swapping a screw, but the outline was always there.
a strong sharp blade, with hardly a handle on it...it is even multi-purpose, other tools within.

[Barry Donovan]

range hood

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this is my blog post. Out there I share anything related to the suby, even indirect. I learned the hood range in a metal mobile home is an act of teslanian genius if used correctly. That was another set path I apply to all my cars, just one aspect of learning.

seeing I had enough for the subaru chores.. I used the leftover stainless steel to make a range hood for this dreadful room rental.
This place is actually nice now…hope its not a temporary hoax… worth a try anyway. The other half of a resistor burner stove is the range hood…else power disappears, it smacks at the heat sucking ceiling, and food is not easy to cook. Not to mention the odors of cooking, and the heat left to spread fast all over a 150sq foot room. A nasty environment needs stainless. Looking around for stainless.. I did find some, but costly, and twice the size of this tiny stove. I simply made my own range hood.

My first attempt at this was an experiment with cardboard. that is when I found a poly chain with chlorine…hidden in the realms of atmosphere or wiring. The hood range found it. Deadly half life.. the cardboard never calmed down, not even a year later.
This called for the toughest cleanest groundable range hood ever.

304 stainless to the rescue. I have the fan on two metal L-brackets made of aluminum, bolted to the hood. This will drive a ground to the hood, or vice versa, back into the wiring…and aluminum is quiet. This is running right now, and very peaceful. Even with these shut off, it’s a free air cleaner through physics… the negative side never stops. Just need to clean the magic trick off once and awhile.

You will find these are all two wire for a reason. Adding a third ground actually increases the bill from the cook stove. All through that gap of air two feet high off the stove..just another one of those strangely invisible events. This is dramatic enough, where mobile home engineers even find a specific spot to mount these, if they should have one. Very big physics value, used correctly is very nice. I applied that learn to this 160 year old house.



The pan up top is only half of an old cook pan… the other half is my subarus fan shroud. This is very quiet, as that was a goal for the wall behind it being a rubber trampoline standing up somehow. The bungi cord and wire are the quieter for now.. will think of something better perhaps, perhaps not. The 8 inch fan is simply a window fan with a wrapped coil.. the runtime always blows air across the motor, so its in its own design to be wrapped up by the company that made it.
To clean, the pan comes right off, throw it in the sink, and of course stainless is easy, even citric 1 dollar cleaners shines it back up.
safe room, and better cooking: priceless.

went for a ride, the hood scoop is quite useful. no hitching anymore. Once again walking back to this place..within 100feet...the killer chain that does not end. That has hopefully left my buggy for the last time.

back to saving my own life..
here is closer to finished product. the edges will be trimmed with carpet to linoleum trim, cheap..with rvets.


integrated the switch into the hood. Added ahook and wingnut from the cheap spring compressor, will not be using. As you can see, this pan has already played the ionization games, for many years. Good place for it. The hook allows me to move that around if I want, offset airflows, change direction..and of course, clean it with ease.



here is the underside.. I could shroud the fan, but not illegal to avoid that chore. The two brackets holding the fan motor are stainless from a dell monitor I scrapped. Wire in and capturing splatters already. I did not know hot dogs frying could shout straight up that far. Covered in many speckles of grease, first run.

off to some more cooking.

[Barry Donovan]

shaped up some rockers

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swapped some tires, wheels, bearings on a boat trailer..then helped put it back on the trailer.
had some time at the garage, hammer shaped up one of the rockers.
very impressive metal.
basic bends in place before install, strong stuff. Looking forward to welding it.
I have concluded this 22ga polished 304 is stronger than 18ga bare.
I have shaped up 22, 18, 16ga rockers for this one car..and now this stainless.
I left it long to hammer a bowl in the rear arch root, and wrap on front of rear tires.
this should be impressive.

The buggy knew the 304 panel dry fit was pressed up against it today.. I am not even kidding.

I guess its another missing link:
stainless rockers.

am making an effort to get this done during a normal persons work week, this coming week.
and like a bad journalist, I did not take my camera...
first hints of the subaru loyale/gl rocker in stainless standing there.
will get a photo soon enough.

the world longest 5 foot 3 inch rockers just got tougher.


long long freaking road..every year they need at something.

..and to that guy at the red light who said:
"nice car, man."

if you are joking or not, made me feel good. with electrical right, this car is indeed iredescent, could be shades of bloody purple all the way to plain brown. Sunny days gets more than one look by a lot of people. this is the only car in the world with this paint code. No doubt borrowed by others, it is that intriguing to look at. A cool thought to know you have an original something..one of something.
this one is not even done correctly, looking like it survived from alaska to maine 20 years ago..and 8 years beyond that.

[Barry Donovan]

update on the carb theory/build

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I recently learned on my own, through the history written of bendix corporation..that I had built a pressure carburator out of a monojet.. and wondered exactly how those worked...
I just did it, and was not sure I was doing it.

my carb does care about the float, its just a helper...and an exact sized meter when float does drop. I'd like to call that the air burper, or purger..ensures real fuel.

No rochester came with my sizing and jets. I made them.

looking at this diagram sealed it up for me: the real settings are fuel pressure, double regulated at both ends, one in the return (my home made one) utilizing all 12psi...gauge verified every start up and run, permanently mounted underhood on the line. The vent for float bowl, in the airstream at top of float bowl cover ..call this the "impact tube". never vents.

A full vent can system, where just today I realized the tank is the vapor gathering, not the vapor giver...that is a huge part of this equation. Its all huge, who am I kidding.

this is when the epiphany finalized..

I made a pressure carb, not a float regulated.

timing of cams is a huge helper, big overlap increases the pressure under throttle plate at slow speeds. Pressure carbs were meant for high performance after all. This means bigger meter, just by the engine alone. Today people call them "injection cams" if they are in their 40s and older. I learned it that way, that is what allowed my brain to make this.

I also used the progressive port for slow speed and cold runs, an "intake damper" richen afr at below 2500rpm...call that the result of "air meter."

The choke resistor is the math on the power valve acting like the servo in diagram..but the foot is the motor...no servo needed. Electrical helper, indirectly..to add to stuff that worked already without it. Bonus.

I knew it was genius. I just fed it along. pun intended.

the carb is not dead.

my first indicator something was a big performer.. In 1997 playing with some friends, I stood my fist subaru on end straight up in the air climbing a pit wall.. the hitachi carb never stalled.

rochester is the american inventors realm, glad to put this daydream together...a lot bigger and smarter.

[Barry Donovan]

bug catching

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got outright hot today in zombie-fat-crack-hanging-out land.

Thanking my lucky stars for a ricer that goes down the highway, I noticed bugs are thicker than I cannot even remember. Stopped for a coffee, and noticed the hood scoop...

wow. this would be one hell of a ram air setup. I even caved in the aluminum vent stuff with two dimples. It is now obvious this is a working hood scoop with death of splattered things in front of it.

Stamina for dixmont hill is as happy as a loaded 550 caterpillar with real mufflers.


I am almost ready to leave the apocalypse. In alot of pain in the left side of my teeth and skull, I have concluded is the radon of this place..it never stops.



Setup the room rental in "war mode", the stainless range hood complete with light and trim now. I am leaving this with the room. I went expert on this with my brothers 1981 mobile home, years ago.. all aluminum siding. what a bouyancy thrashing nightmare. Reminds me of an 87 subaru engine bay in a lot of ways. This one is exactly 24 inches to the center of the fan up off the stove..the stove, you might guess is 24 inches by 24 inches..and a crazy strong 220volts. The other half of a cookstove is the range hood.

I hope in my prayer someone desperate and unable to think clearly ends up here to gain at least some health to clear out their minds and move on in strength...and not get stuck like a hotel california tale of checking in and unable to leave.

they might even call it the underground railroad room to move south, into freedom...some day. The poor whity enslaved in maine to the yeast balled cousin humpers and their basement babies..

The air conditioner is going with me..but the tint in the window will stop the laser beam of the pig sty roof next door from giving anyone a sty...or worse, a laser drilled hole into the skull.

Will be welding if it means dark outside, very soon.
Another to do is add a washer to right rear strut like the left one...this buggy notices that like a princess sleeping on a pea in the royal bed.

a performance note, I had mentioned stamina, and rpm drop.. strong and smooth, exhaust leak is not much to notice. I am ready. I just did 50 miles on 1.25 to 1.5 gallons...
up over 30. I ponder the hood scoop kills a summer time hydrolock, gets my foot outof the throttle. The CAI of aluminum is new this year with wires, pumps, etc.
back to factory mpg, twice the strength.


speaking of integrity, it goes with stamina..
my new insurance policy started at midnight. Just printed out some cards. The savings may have been instant "platinum member" due to long time payer of insurance bill..and no use of it at all Ever.

I ought to be a platinum something someplace. Anyway, the discount for longevity is maxxed out, considered a long timer already. Good day today. I saved 50% on auto insurance while gaining a roadside assistance option.

[Barry Donovan]

stainless pipes installed

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old next to the new. Embarrassing install, the old pipes.

..to this.

No flanges yet in this area, I want to see where heat goes to warping. May not use any. That process was common once upon a time. Install flanges after some weeks or days in the heat. Settles the new stuff to their final shape. Be sure to get a good seat for them. Stainless is stainless, and it is proving to be very friendly. I smelled a dump site on first run. I knew the buggy got a whiff last november. Fought with it all the way to new electrical.

The catalyst likes this stainless, the mandrel easy flow. The seat I made has no leaks in front of it. This little engine needs 2.5 inches as photo’d. You can also spot the odd angle, that had to be trial and error with the cutoff wheel. I regretted not doing that to the top photo, the old pipes. They look so very small.


Up on ramps, and the extra tools.. I still started cussing by the time I was done. Plenty of clearance and strong. Sounds very good, a little more buffer room and mellow. Sitting at the end of the driveway, waiting for traffic, an antique jaguar went by, I was inspired to wave.
3 decades is coming on quick.

did I mention this sounds damn good?

loaded up with food, 120 pounds at a time is not uncommon, I buy wholesale. Getting out on the big road as usual.. wow. Impressive little buggy. Mandrel stainless to the rescue.

stainless pipes in today.

amid the gothic decades old ruins,
stalactites in drooling 44 pounds of mig weld,
150 square feet of sheet and flat bar and ingenuity..
the wind hits the nail right on the head...
the point left behind decrepid and bent,
like this cars truth...
poetry in action.

I had a primitive dream about a boat, a long time ago.
my mom was a poet.. so I wrote something down.
it ended up in a book. To strangely claim a relative reeled me in hundreds of years ahead...
very spooky.

[Barry Donovan]

another full warm

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I have concluded the hitching is sulfur on a cooled engine. Taking it to full warm is easy enough. This means clearing out old runtime, at the molecular level. I still give this one engine two thumbs up..way younger than its years. The sulfur for sube engines was the crazy alternator wiring routine the constipated hermaphrodites crammed it through... I have forced these changes in the past, quite familiar. In fact todays ride in the cool rain, and fog.. for this very reason, trying to find the last of this hitching, cleaning it out.

I have my secret rides, through back country, expensive places and their acres made to look pretty for those lucky enough to pass by..
steep hills and turns...often alone out there, to pass this mansion grade place with trimmed trees and beautiful lawns coming out of nowhere into view. Always inspiring..the well to do secret neighborhoods in the woods.

I ponder what it is to be heard, this unique. I lived in the quiet places for some time.. paying attention to anything that broke the silence. Vehicles was always a listen to.

This sube must be perking the ears of some... nothing like it, adding the torque load, or a quick pop of a misfire...a teasing echo, no counter snap. Amazing for real..

it is the reward for this one, I did not intend to hear what I do. A big change on this build is less than max torque rpm climbing grades unheard of. That sound is priceless at a tractor trailers rpm, into the 50s mph speed limit. Does not resemble a subaru or a crazy honda noise.. absolutely bizarre. Mellow and way bigger than expected, even being the builder and throttle man.

An annoying thing to tend to is the washer added to right rear strut.. right away.
A blast out onto the highway to go back to my radon hole called bangor... the stamina feel is priceless. I dream of the last time I take that road, only southbound..one way.

oil is six months as of now, might even be near the 3000 miles. This one engine does not do gimmicks of chemistry, in fact, napa oil off the shelf or cheap castrol is the greatest win. They made the guts to work with the original oils. I spun a bearing on castrol edge on the original engine. live and learn.

I made some brownies, my range hood taking the heat from this room..of course not, but it does help. the a/c at the other end is still doing the cooling. Can't just focus on one thing expecting a roundabout full miracle.

plopped a chunk into a bowl, with one fat boy ice cream sandwich. I do not gain weight, I do not reveal how much work I have done. Somewhere between hot and cold, I enjoy my dessert.

[Barry Donovan]

trucking suby

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dad called me, asked if I could do something for him..

made some deliveries for dad, he is a trucker. Some lighter weight 8 foot box and a samll one. got it all inside the sube, made the short delivery.
I had done this before, heavier block up on the roof..almost regretted that one. It would be comical to see commercial plates on an dual range subaru. Make a career out of it.

seems the hitching may be related to a new battery, just seeing its days above freezing..the fake dead cell is a northern routine.
march was a record breaker, the longevity of cold this year, not so much the low temp.

runs great.
was talking with a diesel mechanic at the truck stop, said he had 3 of these. I guess I pointed out the highlight of this one in one sentence, underhood while running...

"this one is 12psi fuel on a big rochester 1 barrel." - as I pointed to the gauge.

I could sum up the subaru with that one statement for anyone.
on my travelling notes, if you are familiar with brewer to bucksport, the hills start getting steeper and winding towards the ocean. That is where I was roaming today. Love the sound of this working right. Today needed defrost in the heavier rain, the air recirc button alone cleared it right up. That used to a be a drama all on its own..no damn correct defrost. Hood scoop is letting nothing in noticable, the vents just right. The cold air intake setup is just that, to put your finger on. Flowing nice.

this is a long term car now, any situation.
work out the thump of right rear, and a long ride is on order.

come to think of it..the new battery routine alone is enough to thump a strut...as well as the hitching towards full warm. The difference this time is 3 times the amps, and a real loop back to a real regulation.. of the modern kind.

It is not to say I built something big, I simply modernized to average numbers. So the bushings at the tophats, big part of equation in the loop. those must be correct at all times. Most cars are, this subaru is a little different, no big deal to get correct. the rear left is golden, it is now the outline for the right.. simply needs a washer. No regrets oin the spring compressor.. that was a to do thing to buy some years ago. This subaru, even as a street car, needs strut attention like a rally stager, this means at any time..
very tough enough, it is the signal torques that become the game for this one.

with this complete, I hope to move on to my real contentment. A 41 year old with a subaru and sporty exhaust has a dweeb in a honda trying to mimick it. I do not need to be associated with that lack of education anymore. Call me retiring from the facts that have a battle every day.. the EA series subaru is indeed one of them.
I am getting old.
..and I did indeed say I had an 8 foot piece of commercial wrapped lumber inside the sube with me today.

[Barry Donovan]

dual tone car horns: 110 db

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on a roll to get this done, more welding due tomorrow..
I remembered I blew out both horns. Passenger side has been dead since I bought it, driver side died after the new alternator (big amps) .

20 bucks, ebay, 110 db from china.

I have not heard the dual circuit of the dual range (gl touring) subaru horns... Ever. I have had 3 subarus, most were dead on purpose by factory, one of the horns or 1 just not there at all.

This one has both, and both circuits work.

I learned via uncertified rumor, the dual horns working, were for the highway subarus only..this meant G-wagon (dual range) or the special Touring label wagons.

Adding a special that was never quite right. Not a common function for these by factory. This one had both lit the whole time. Should have treated it better... the oem horns are extinct.

This also explains why the drama on the column gyro and the sense of extra volts working on a bleed type loss at the steering wheel oem, not an outright short circuit. Subaru made that big all along, I have only heard half of it. this should be fun...cheaply.

in short, no pun, the horn circuit is a reason I swapped to the little steering wheel.. circuit well lit, and subarus steering wheel was not insulated enough to stop bleed. So..this will be louder than oem subaru for two reasons.

I was thinking of this last fall, adding the racing wheel. I wanted it at first just so I can sit back extended, and stable the handling on the highway. The horn was the other reason that came about later.
This is also an inspection item.

another bigger update..
the hitching turned out to be the silicone I used to seal the new cone. An interesting event unfolded..as I took it apart, I found the silicone was ripped to shreds, in tiny little pebbles..the cone kept it. a few drops, this sube engine goes crazy.

A funny thing to ponder.. at full warm it is hot enough to stay smooth and blow the little buggers right out. that must be a gauranteed 700F fire anyway. The silicone is made by the crazy glue company, petroleum resistant.
Must be the titaniums will to be a catalyst to make that stick and thrashing around up top of the carb..this is an injection timing, so the reverb will be hefty anyway. The rochester loves that.

So I wiped it off, took engine to full warm. This engine is a mid range engine, I can finally determine that now..just as subaru intended.
one less problem to contend with. Tomorrow is the first 80s F in about a year. that should finish it off.

[Barry Donovan]

stainless carb cone

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This one can be welded. found an only error in the titanium mystery cone.. it shredded the silicone at the bead rivet. there is a big pressure there, the cone stops a big noise..this means frequency. I will finish it with this stainless.


plenty of room, and a real math made the cone, with a compass and algorithm... instead of trial and error. Can do some grinding to rid some burrs, and weld the seam, no silicones or sealers… except for the carb and lid with some foam something or epdm rubber, etc..

Another oddity today, taking the cone apart .. I smelled a little bit of swamp from yesterdays rain. It occurred to me, there is no sterilizer for the dinosaur fuel. This stainless is a nice option. This is a cold area for the carb up top, even in the summer, as intended. Materials need to be correct for the old school runtime.

this is my fifth completely different setup now.. all trial and error.
a real oddity.. the fog you see on the cone, it gathered the second I put this on the spare carb. it condensed moisture from the rochester..that I did not know was there.

this will be my final for this.
a process, yet another invisible, I constantly forget.. is that a cars parking spot becomes its odor, like a tenant. The strut stopped thumping when I rolled down a window..this means the back of the car was puffed up like a balloon. the ass end gains weight when you open a ricers window.

right up to 90mph..the new exhaust is leaving the big bad hills that challenge truckers to be taken for granted. The sube is nearly the same as todays bigger rigs. Cleaning the cone stopped all hitching, full speed ahead.

To add to my own list of amazings..the rear tires must be in the 7 to 10 year range, the avid trz is just losing the fancy middle rib..that is about 80k miles for this version of hardness. To be thrashed between two different subarus, bought used, then slapped on my own alignment and compilation of welds...to sail along at 90mph even for days, on a back end that must weight 500 pounds or less to feel every tiny error...

holy crap. I'll just stop kidding myself.. this is beyond error less.
looking forward to the last realm of extras, and finding a spot to keep it even safer than it is.

to finally summarize this engines mythical output.. it is 1781cc in the 2.5 inch pipe range, and needing the 40k volt igntion or larger.. on a real 280cfm carb (american is greatness). None of this mentioned is extra.. this is where I finally say..

"this is just right". All trial and error, the whole think on the engine. it was indeed twice over the falsity written...just to gain all four cyls in tune and balance.

10.2-10.7 to 1.. and 91 octane minimum. It is the 1960s realm, with a softer quieter valve train. More than I mathed for..had to trial and error, like a lot of other things.

nearly finished. horsepower unknown, little engine working hard, yet making it seem easy.

[Barry Donovan]

total cost

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this is pretty close..but there is 4 years of ebay buried. Thinking real hard.. I can remember buying a mig welder.. but subaru specific, I just added it into miscellaneous... not much from ebay prior to 2012.

rockauto april 2010 - today
401.98

ebay 2012-today
1837.42

millsupply
292.16

4 years of ebay missing..
two rare lower quarters, I can only remember 30 bucks or so.

some private sales..
1 loyale engine $100

peugeot wheels, two different sales for a total of 8 of them..
$350 with some tires along the way

the rest is tools, other items
$100 special stuff for this subaru only..
and another $100 for miscellaneous.

$140 csf radiator

$3351.56
my original cost of subaru: $500

$3851.56

of course, the priceless stuff, is labor.
tools universal, like car ramps and grinders, cutoff wheel, etc.. those stay out of the budget, separate.

it is in reality near $15-20,000.. the items here do not show an entire loyale I dismantled...nor the 1987 DL parts I kept (I have had 3 subarus), still have 6 heads, 54 headbolts (those are 5-10 bucks a piece alone.) on and on.

$1148 to go.

I may just have maxxed it out for real, the $5k game...will keep thinking of other items.
Ebay burying their list stuff..and rockauto stopped at 2010.

an interesting thing to add is the ripoff from geico..that is almost 5000 alone..just maine state liability insurance. Non-stop pay for 9 years.

Just the rear end crossmember, extinct piece, in frankenstein ugly has approx 10 pounds of mig weld..the final weld , my ape tractor trailer version played with geometry over a two day period, about 14 hours to gain the triple laminate extra connection to the deck, and 1/8th inch per five feet alignment. This isnot counting the 4 other times in emergency welding repairs..just the rear end crossmember. must be 30 hours or more.

the wheel wells were non existent, and I gutted all channels, and made rockers for the rocker for the rockers..

today will get more rockers.
this car had an outline for jacking points, could not use them.. one of the sillier mistakes by subaru. I welded until those became jack points.
the extra beam below front seats
custom rear diff bar
my own pitch stop etc etc etc. long list.
not that bad really, I pinched and saved. Time is an element as well.
the custom is priceless. With all ignored, that ends up the selling points. Cars are funny like that.

edit:
holy crap..the mig weld reels.

44 pounds at 20+ a piece...2 pounds at a time..22 reels
$440

$708 in the budget.

this is the final weeks.
I am opting to delay rockers until late june. I see low 50s at night. 56 is the magic number.. rockers are considered structure.

maybe weld up the cone today, fiddle with other things. I do have one speaker that is blown...

[Barry Donovan]

rainbows and stainless steel

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bound to happen, the right place at the right time. I did not seek this shot out, I turned around form my usual garage working area..and there it was. A photo oppurtunity. I had just finished one stainless rocker about 30 minutes prior.
off to the rest of the chores, no chronology...simply today.


stainless cone installed. do not need a gasket...top or bottom. Math to the rescue... it made a good one.


double seam solid weld.. ought to be strong enough.. maybe?


added a washer to a strut top..found the strut top had a problem. Brutal welds, basic grinds.. better than subarus 50 pound weight limit.


another shot of rocker.
hand bent in realtime. some dimples and dents..those will mostly disappear. first part of install, the rest is making pretty.. maybe tomorrow.


one piece, one seam. This should last a freakishly long time. the steel rockers are still functioning underneath.
3/16ths in layers or beyond by now..
the longest five foot 3 rockers in the world.

[Barry Donovan]

left rocker

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this is the fat rocker. 5 layers deep now, including the stainless. this must be a 1 ton sideways for real..



bothered the system ground at the door lamp , hooked up, no errors..no function. Deep area I made..must be the black hole for this subaru.
the left side, below fuse panel, all the way back is NASA science apparently. Am familiar with this Subaru, yet another oddity. When 60 hertz can burrow path, the indicator works again.

I pounded many dimples on the top seam below doors. these will smooth out over the weeks and months. Next step is the smaller details, rear quarters in stainless, inside seam of rocker finished off with stainless.
Going to ride for a few weeks, finish it off.

the culprit is a dead animal and chlorine. Just add electricity I guess. Very powerful steel kill. All the welds took right in, so my efforts are not worthless. This chore started in 2008. many hours andmig reels..and steel.

Stainless scares any enzyme chain, so it will just die off as an odor, bits at a time. I cleaned this thorough.. that is how I know it is not a normal error eating the steel in yearly intervals. Beyond 16 gauge, it simply tanked to time stilled..ricer version anyway.
the real loser is the suicide of chlorine..you know that war gas that was aimed to kill people?

my first ride on the new rocker yesterday was the light rain wetting the road. Parked in my spot, got a look..and wow. That just may be the biggest factor..those rockers are pummeled every ride. I am nothing shy of 150mph every where I go, so I am not helping it anyway.

Was at the truck stop with my dad and his kw900, the same place that had the stainless steel (sign still painted on the back side of the rockers on my subaru)

He asked me to move it through the truck wash, big garage, about 6 inches on each side for the tires, 280 inch wheel base... going backwards. Right then and there.. it occurred to me. I was taught to drive a rig before a car, 30 years ago. The second sight, playing math with things unseen.. I still apply it to everything I have ever done with machinery...and a funny coincidence, it shifts like my subaru. Big gears, heavy flywheel.. got to treat it nice. A bigger reward in the end.


a big sweet smelling red cedar mulch pile is in the parking lot. I am still grunged from crawling around and welding. I had a strange desire to walk up to the pile and stick my arms in it.

damn that felt good. I realized, mulch is a finale for enzymes, or the good things trying to grow. My subaru really did have something not so friendly. I'll keep a habit to find a dirt road at least once and awhile, less travelled. Cleanses naturally.