1987 subaru: dual range

[Barry Donovan]

test run

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journal post #1348.. july 19, 2017
clicking on photos gets large versions.

needing only a few things now,
I ordered a U-joint, direct fit.
Going to give some toe in for the left side rear.

I then went flying down this road, challenging the front bump stops, at a good clip. subaru is famous for staying planted. Progressive springs in action is riding a legend. this test was mainly for the back end welds. It is 11 miles to another gate. It is a lonely woods road.A long walk home for the mechanic, and engineer and pilot and crew chief...

if it broke.

Nothing budged. This is the side that broke 7 of the 8 times. Looking close, you can see how the panic welds ended up owning the whole rear end. They never lost.

I did crack open the rocker seam.. and glad it did. An odor came out.. the old body seal from 1987. Will button that back up, and leave air to move in. This is 4 sheet metal layers deep. The final is stainless steel.

I am feeling a bit proud. This car as factory is truly hopeless. I had to make it from inside out. The blocks of square tube are hard welded to the subframe I rebuilt from inside out. Trial end error, and needing to go beyond into home made parts.

The diff stays cold, and so does the chassis, on this 90F day. I hit a sure sweet spot.

I am calling this rough in, the addition to a final. Making it look better is an option.

[hauen]

I know I'm spoiled living in Nevada, but damn, it's a miracle any car that lives back East doesn't just disintegrate at speed. Hat's off to you for changing the rust. There are days when dealing with this thing you must feel like Sisyphus.

[Barry Donovan]

I know I'm spoiled living in Nevada, but damn, it's a miracle any car that lives back East doesn't just disintegrate at speed. Hat's off to you for changing the rust. There are days when dealing with this thing you must feel like Sisyphus.

it is the poisons that parked this one.
little things along the way.. like the 4x10 feet of stainless for free from a truck stop.
i kept going.
rust is never an issue.. it was the cause of rust that needs to be poked at.
in fact, being it is 30 years, I had it for ten.. nothing has gone further than what I killed further myself.
I have not been very nice to this for runtimes.
I can't seem to lose the 2050 foot pound throttle foot. if it is weak, I am going to break it.

Rust stopped after my version of electrical...
nissan alternator at the heart of it...still two wire, but the trigger is in milliamps (I am quite sure)

finding more poisons, was like torture.
flat broke..had to keep going.



my truck is 21, nothing but the north.. 362k miles.
just having the real 4 wire alternator, chassis/frame may go to 40 years old.

I learned all this working airplanes. The subaru is a tangent I do not regret.

I found the odometer reels the miles backwards when towing backwards. An epiphany...
the car has thousands of more miles on it that I may not know.
It showed like it was towed..maybe by a motorhome, a very large amount of miles.

I am at 47k miles with it, over ten years.. starting off with a 500 dollar cash borrow for the spur of the moment buy.
subaru parts galore from one i got for free, and one I junked and gave away.

every year since early 90s it has been registered in maine, was in alaska before then.
An original title. Never salvaged.

I am in a situation now, I could do something special with it.. and continue to treat it like the desperation I survived with.
Not to be a source of sad..but a symbol of survival.
I guess the elements of extreme are a veterans mentality I had to learn I became.
I can laugh with and not against.

4 engines (hobby swaps, not all fails),
1 SPEC clutch.
1 wheel bearing.
1 set of brakes hubs rotors.
1 set of tires from new (still very new)
56 pounds of mig weld, more than 100 feet of sheet and steel.


30mpg on a bad day.
not exactly breaking the bank.

The more the depressing times fade away, the more I know I won with this.
the smell of an emulsified rochester one barrel on an 18 inch hg intake..rowing the gears.. it is as old as my beginnings, running on a foreign subaru boxer.


still my one and only rice. I will never get another.

I was just chatting with another viet nam veteran neighbor today (I know several now).. he has an old 1970 ford 3/4 ton at 460k miles...
he does not want the truck to die.
been sitting a long time.. i think he said 1983.

That is my trigger to step up yet again. My intention before disabled line of duty..
american restore.
my hell only got worse from my intentions.

I will try and sell the subaru for as much as I can.
smooth sailing and making my noise.

[Barry Donovan]

baby u-joint

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if this says anything about the rear end breaking 8 times...
I must have done some fast thinking and laser measuring.



these little things cannot stay out of good measure for long.
to hell and back, and i finally got 1 bad cap.
I will swap the whole thing, and not just the 1 bad.

a staked U-joint needs a helper to keep cap in. as you can see, going for a c-clip on this micronic piece is not my 30 cup canister of tea.

Maybe a dab of weld..
anyway. got this repacked with valvoline high temp synthetic grease already.

exhaust mod.
nice one.

[Barry Donovan]

elana from roadkill at the new england forest rally.

I drove there once in 2008, was not easy going. I disrupted a wedding with my fart can tin can.
never found the race, caught all my fluids sucked out by a tornado.

I gave that video to the national weather service upon request.



If I can find some instructions for spectators, I'll take my subaru again. Maybe catch a glimpse of the race this time .. I am not all that far from there.

still not going..
this the instructions for how to spectate..

http://www.newenglandforestrally.com/how-to-spectate/

How about where to f***** go and spectate..
idiots.

"plan your day" How the heck else would someone show up there.

anyway.. got the little cap set screw area on the monojet sealed up in seeming seconds. The guy at napa knew what he was doing. I explained the infamous dribble from the screw when there is no cap to put back on.

handed me this, and said it was awesome.



sure enough.. it was.
Less than 1 minute that little monster weep was done.
Best runtime yet. For the extra adjustment screw to weep, must mean it is vibrating to the emulsify tube it is a part of.
This nailed it.

He said it dried hard like glass, as it is clear.. and I can pop it out whenever with a good effort.

this heat today also floated the toe out alignment I left as subarus pretension. this car is headed for super smoothy.
I have not had this smooth in some years.
cruised home in the 70s.
Clean air, no fumes...
I really did do a lot of work.

I am really taking this on the long trip I had only daydreamed a few years ago.
going for U-joint, some toe in..and maybe some grinding on panic welds. the geometry set forth is incredibly correct.
passed my tests. that is saying a lot. In fact, it is enough to make some cringe to this day.
Now just gonna make it look better.

[Barry Donovan]

more chores.

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bad news first



I broke dad's big bench vise. I loved that thing. I killed it with my 5 foot 9ian herculean sasquatchitation.
I then went and bought a little 6 ton press (80 bucks).

I then disabled AWD by taking half the driveshaft out. Not repairable. 3 caps of four, lined right in. Oneinsisted being way off. I then deicphered it.. one bad yoke. One half of a yoke is way out.
Not a chance in hell to gain the midget yoke piece back to a real line.

advice:
your sube kills one cap in a U-joint?.. got get a brand new shaft.
I have done this twice. all while truly going after a clean U-joint install.

I also got a die grinder.. and the wrong bits. I did manage to ream out the side bar holes a little, to gain some toe in on the rear left.



I then added 300 miles to the little sube. It has never been this comfortable. I am not putting AWD back in.
Oh well. The trade off is a how damn smooth it is without that midget rear end dildo back there.

The rare transmission can be mentioned as little used in the ad when the time comes.
For now I am loving that little motor.
16 bucks and its nearly a round trip all over maine.

got some coastal views,
a fun ride was through belfast. tourists everywhere. Busy crosswalks.
I am put in my place about decibels and unique runtime.
One guy pointed at my hoodscoop, opinionating to his friend.

My job is done.

I tried to record, but, this engine kills microphones. I have not found a brand, make model of any you tube fairy talers spectacular microphone.


anyway..

87 octane got the pings in the hills. I have not had this engine running long enough to know.. but I did guess it when I built it.
I'll bump it to 91 octane.
I guessed compression is 10.7 to 1
the real kind kids. Not the vtec theory version. this is old school static value.. like SBC used to get.
you'll need all 18 head bolts on this boxer to try it.

I have the timing very conservative.. calling it good. stays safe and cool.
bras copper radiator on and on.

Going for some more smooth sailing, it is my vengeance. Rear quarter looks nasty, mudflap has nothing to bolt to.. and I got one seam open on a rocker.
Leaving it for the time being. A stinker was in there.

it is one smooth ride. Never been this smooth. Finding the offset measures in the back by factory. I am not putting AWD back in.
if it was the loyale years.. sure why not. the 85-87 is just outright bad bad bad.
New driveshaft or nothing.

Now that I have a "monster" 2wd...
This will be the long trip daydream. It is what I hoped from the little engine. Safe tires, suspension..gas tank modern, bigger everything.

[Barry Donovan]

one last detox

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I knew I was getting away this time.. but no.
in the showers after a couple of gallons of water.
3 am bed time.. the pain stopped.

part of the story with this one, is how many times it tried to kill me.

opening channels, the death roadkill odor. I got a rash way back when, it was still alive.
much calmer today, its just an old steel subaru.

My dad's rigs used to get something like it.. needs lots of water. You more than the machine.
breaking open the rocker seam, this car has tamed to just plain old steel. piles of dust about the steel I gave it. I am feeling older, to outlast my own repairs.
Every weld over ten years, took away some old monsters, and added more toilet paper.

Something liked the steel to go to. I figured bowels, seam sealer.. and 12volts trying to make a stomach out of it.
it certainly is an antique. I had seen the suffering of these cars in realtime way back then.
Working as hell on earth with 50 year old planes, my motivation seemed bent to take on a car I would never like.

The only reward is knowing it is rare for being that bad..literally a badass.

It has a unique runtime, feisty as an old ricer.. which seems expected.
I tackled a lot in a few weeks. going to back off for a couple more.

made a quick video. this is boring as itself. I add it to the ten previous years.
clips of driving.. a minute or two.

I have yet to gain a good microphone.

in maine between 3200 and 3500 is flow of traffic. That is 75 to 87.
My speedometer stops at 70 something...my tires are 2 inches bigger than factory.
Does not need to scream for 87 mph..
on lonely dark rides I have stayed at 3600 rpm for more than an hour.
90 something mph.

it became addictive. Realizing just 3 gallons went by for 110 miles.
mig welder and generator in the back, a car battery, full peugeot spare, some tools, a gm jack and tire iron.
a/c vacuum pump, and the lines. A gallon of oil and water..
I will always be amazed with that. Self balanced engine. I have more metal weight in the back than the weight of a complete engine.
of course most vehicles are like that..this one seems extra small to be going extra big.

lots of memories. I remember my brother calling, he was about 80 miles north. Pouring rain.
about 50 minutes later, I am pulling into the gas station he was standing around in.
I must have been hauling butt he said.
Surprising, time and speed and the elements. this buggy just shows up at seeming half rpm.

my own is an animal.. still tame. I heard a camaro today, late 60s. Rowing the 4 speed out here in the woods. short stroke screamer, Factory exhaust.. hear it whistle earning the rochester. Sounds a lot like my old subaru in more ways than one..

I figure it does not matter where the old down draft is, they all need to earn it.

By the time kids are done forgetting history, it is repeated where they least expect it.

wanting to move on..
I found this 1970 gmc in craigslist:


900 bucks.
for every dollar in its 3 more back...
unlike rice.

funny enough, this trucks worst engine had a rochester monojet.
the oldest part on my subaru.

I'll stay nice, and offer the subaru up for a fair price. the chassis is going to have to be scrapped.
I am headed for another long evening of detox.

it is a goner.
All this wilderness and clean air out here, the freakin monster is the same sucking pig trying to hurt people.

the engine/clutch/trans is incredible.
lots of parts.

[Barry Donovan]

I have the subaru up for sale.
parts pile is.. well, you'll need a pickup.

drive it home.
1000 bucks.

edit:
changed my mind.

it is just getting started.

something I may do, as money disappears in my penny budget..
hack the old carb air breather to fit the rochester, weld a bigger end on for the 280 cfm.

the antique rules is rather fun. Meet or exceed OE, while retaining as much as possible.

this one was the dangerous air fuel, the gas tank, and pump.. egr cams, not enough CFM at 140.
bad steel, rear end mismeasure by factory..
tires were not safe for weight rating or american highway.

..and believe it or not.
That was it.
That was the honesty in my first days with my first one..20 years ago.

the panic welds, odd shapes, and good geometry all mixed in. I spoke up with questions on what I could use that had to do really weird grinding.. but very strong at the same time. This was 10 years ago. I simply never got what I needed.



I finally got a die grinder, and now needed some bits.
I learned of the die grinder with tungsten carbide. the only answer.
its like a giant dremel. 25k rpm.. 1/4 inch shank.


tungsten carbide for ripping into steel shapes. This will also me allow to set toe and camber caster in the back end. those holes after 31 years are still unreamed. I worked with subaru stuff that closely.
with pretension not needed anymore, I have to guide the side bars in the rear suspension myself.
this will make easy work of it.
ripping into harbor frieght bits and destroying them in seconds.. this was the only answer.

[Barry Donovan]

gaining a little pride.
I suppose after all the labor, I ought to be.

more test run post #1350

Seems to be right on the money. Welds are strong. Stoich is good. Can't wait to clean out the back end.. the generator with it's gas vent is annoying. The subaru has enough old school smells. Plenty of power. Running smooth.

todo list
1 rocker seam
1 rear quarter
gain some toe in left rear. Inspect welds, make nice if I want to.
Two more new tires.. basically to swap that one bad rim that snuck into the mix. This will keep all four tires the same brand and size again.

driving through some ruts and potholes...back out on the road to real speeds. I sure did toughen this old tin can.

This looks like a cracked weld but it isn't, I wandered off a few seconds after triggering the gun. the root of it is welded plenty. I'll clean this up with carbide bits on a die grinder, add a nice seam to finish.. just for appearance. I really twisted the loaded buggy around today in the ruts. That is the real test.

Big subaru, little pine tree. Some may not know where my sasquatch habits come from.. a simple ride in the maine woods will suffice. My tiny little tin can.

engine bay today.

the cap on the rochester that gave a weep. the Seal All worked in less than a minute, then only got harder as a day went by. This can be cracked out with a flathead to adjust screw. Carb is nice and tight. I keep a little tube of it in the car, just for this. I doubt it will need anything ..you set this once and forget it.



this is the one year one car paint code climbing out as some kinda shade of pink. It is plain brown most of the time.

[Barry Donovan]

flashback!

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With ten years gone by, i forget how many times I have taken a photo of my old subaru.

I just got a question from amazon about the hpm415 camera and sdhc compatibility.


I then found my own review, with a picture of my subaru when it was still factory.. and with 109k on the odometer.(it is at 151k today)
Not as humble as bill Gates talking of memory.. but

"Be sure to have jumbo maH in the aa rechargables, 5.2 mp is huge"

[Barry Donovan]

camera piles

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I have cables and debris and gadgets, some broken
dating back to fill a few bins...1998 or so.


no microphones. I have had nice cameras.. the panasonic mpeg2 was my last favorite.
going with the flow of DSLR, etc.. I am finding no microphones worth more than 6 dollars.


So I bought this one for 5.95, and will see how it does.
I don't need a dildo shaped cone on the same 3 cent china microphone as the one above.

sick sick game.
anybody have recommendations for high compression engine capture or big diesel turbo, or even whining gears... all balanced out the way we hear it?

[Barry Donovan]

costs

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I creeped over the 5k a few years ago.. and then subtracted tools.
I still use them elsewhere.

this month was a quick dump in DIY money to $360
50 of it was a dolly, 160 of it was tools.
my own labor.. priceless.

well worth it.
Just hopping in for a ride last evening, the boxer rice sound and taking it easy into an old I-6 sound.
it is not the nightmare I never wanted.
it runs like nothing I have ever heard myself elsewhere, and I built it.

I kept this for a reason.

I noticed fuel has to be over .25 tank, even with big pump. It is most certainly an old high compression, ona carb.
I have had only a handful of v8s that did this.. over 10 to 1 on pump gas. injection carries through very nice..this is just an old carb observation. Like water and all things that flow or have frequency.. it knows its own end from the beginning. fuel has a weight it needs to keep to get through the thud of 10.7 to 1.
A reason I wanted the american sized float bowl.

When this winds up, it is not the twack of the four banger inline.. iti s all on its own. Always amazing..as it gets bigger as you go faster.
that is the legend of self balance. My own version of cams would leave this a trailer queen. One crazy ride on the road.

A real funny trait to add is how tall geared it is. when you hear ahonda straining to its 5.11 final drive 5 speed. this one with the same sound is hitting fifth at 125 mph. (I stop at 109 - gets kinda scary)

looking forward to that longer ride. Without rear end align squared in to the tougher steel, this means drag on rolling resistance, it is already quick for the weight to power ratio. This suby is freighted. I like it earning. Anold addictive carb trait on bigger compressions. Rowing gears is just a bonus.

all the joking about songs for an 87 subaru, it was related to fun editing, years ago. Before you tube was even launched. MTv fun kinda stuff.

This song seems to repeat the most for me.

a boxer snaps tangent minds...like a counterbalance of a door hitting your ass on the way out.
a door you opened yourself.

feed your head, feed your head.

[Barry Donovan]

a romp through the woods

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testing some weld.
my mig welder and generator still in the back.. with a/c vacuum pump, gauges, tools, full spare, jack and tire iron. Oil jug, gas can, and a bunch of bolts I have a bad habit of throwing into the back tray.

very good. Left side is going to get an extra.. I am glad to second guess it. that has been the nightamre all along..but today was impressive.
it won't be losing easily.


Will tidy this up weekend after next. I was informed today this weekend is preoccupied...
kinda sucks. I wanted it done.

11 miles is to the end.. not far from the locked gate. the tree down wa snot all that disappointing, as sometimes it is a swamp after that area.

my next video will be the shreaking rpms I tend to keep from you tube.
90mph is top of third gear.

I'll leave it at that.

[Barry Donovan]

carbide bits and a die grinder

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did not hurt myself, but did twack a bit shank. The clever design allows you to bend them back. Smart thinking.



summary of rear end chores. Both sides.
the green is extra bolts, those saved this subaru rear end some years ago. they are not there by factory in left pf photo. I laminated floor, added bushings, and poked the bolts down into existing subaru holes. I'd swear they were just missing..but no. subaru never used them.

I reamed out the bar holes in minutes. the die grinder ran on my little generator.
Set up now for final tab welds.
given how fast that worked .. I can get the quarters and rocker same day. Buttoned up for another 7 months of hell.

the hell ride yesterday verified the high pressure loyale gas tank, the honda springs in the rear, struts and everything I have done with the steel.
something was so content , the rear quarter never lost chunks of its bad decay..as I can knock it off with my fingers.
the generator never spilled gas out its less than sealed cap.. sitting in the hatchback.

the body must be hovering perfectly.

this is ready.

[Barry Donovan]

240 miles

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with some toe in gained on the rear left. Jumped in at dusk, went for a ride.
turned into 240 miles and no cash at a tollbooth... lagrange to lewiston maine.
5 hours of my time.
all highway.

car did good.
8 gallons in fuel...dusty road ripping and grooved pavement. the way back home is a never ending hill.. all up.

pulled into dysarts truck stop, the low light on.
12 am.
two county sheriffs in front of me at the pumps. Smashed with bugs and my own exhaust I casually shut down to see 100 miles gone by on the trip meter. Non-stop 75-80.
checked under hood. found a wet throttle section on the carb.
condensing in a maine july evening.. at least its not ice. That comes in late august sometimes.
just needs 47F and colder... the rochester ices.

above orono maine, the silence that dictates my very bright LED.
80-85 for the last miles home.
the depth of a clean cold barrel bellowing back to what so many can only dream of.


The second I let off throttle, a falling star shreaked overhead.
between the thump of the barrel getting the arctic path, timed with the light in the sky.. i jumped.
I was enthused to come back here to the little town for these reasons.

missing normal people.. I am going to have wander again.
I liked lewiston, more culture.

anyway, used no oil. Alignment is nearly exact.. just going to beef up the tab I wanted to be challenged.
I only verified what I knew.. this buggy needed panhard, sway on the back.. factory did not offer it in this one.
Going to have to beef up the left side a little. Very easy now, the steel work done is plenty strong.

A very long trip is planned.

did some playing with my camera. Raw mode etc.
click on photo to get big version

figured it was gothic.

big lense, taking advantage.

ketchikan sticker still there. the alaskan scoob. "The best deals on earth"

added two holes to the hoodscoop. See the light. The aluminum is very very hard.. it came from a hard drive encloser. I wondered if it was titanium.
die grinder got through it ok.

..and a couple more.

for as bent as I claimed it to be, and what it has become. no one cares..beyond 20/20 notices things sometimes.

I use my camera to realize chores and continue. I have ripped into every part of this car. Transmission and rear end got left alone.
I still remember going real cautious and nervous over the left rear quarter..my first weld, and body repair ever. Having no idea the wheel wells were gone. Back to square one.. it needs that same rear quarter, ten years later.