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-   -   Project Berserker (https://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=64446)

SoCoNoHa 10-26-2017 10:38 AM

Project Berserker
 
I have been perusing eBay quite a lot over the past several months, acquiring parts for my SVX; some necessary, some not so necessary:

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=161

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=160

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=158

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=159

But that's not what this thread is about. My SVX will be tucked away, safe from the elements and especially the road salt for the winter. Since I still need to get to work and such, I've been keeping an eye out for an older Legacy. Well...

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=163

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=162

I found it on CL about 20 minutes from my house.
It's a 1995 Impreza L Coupe, with AWD and a 5 speed from the factory! Curb weight is 2605 lbs and you can definitely tell. It handles pretty damn amazing for stock suspension and winter tires. Plus no pesky OBDII to interfere with my plans...

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=164

Right now I'm loving the car, even though the 1.8l engine is the Slowest. Thing. Ever. Unfortunately I can't stand the gearing of the 3.90 trans, it just doesn't feel right. Huge gap between 1st and 2nd, but 2nd and 3rd are extremely close. And on the highway the motor is actually spinning faster than the 4.111 in my SVX.

So I've got a lead on a 4.111 from a 2000's Outback as well as a recently rebuilt phase 1 EZ30. My intention is to get both into the car before the snow flies, but we'll see. I'll start with that, get it running well and buttoned up. Given the chassis weight, it should be extremely quick. Next year I will hopefully have saved up enough to rebuild the engine with forged internals for some delicious forced induction! But first things first...

She's a little rusty underneath(understatement) and when I got it there was an old tube sock ziptied to the MAF sensor for a filter, wish I had pics of that! Anyway I scored some cheap H6 brakes and newer Impreza suspension for it. I believe all I need to do is redrill the rear strut mounts and I'm golden. I'll hopefully be tackling that this weekend, and then the real fun begins!

wdb 10-28-2017 08:33 AM

Re: Project Berserker
 
You crazy, dude.


Please keep us updated. :)

SoCoNoHa 10-30-2017 01:42 PM

H6 Brakes
 
Picked up some misc stuff for the swap last weekend from an L.L. Bean being parted out. Got the grill, steering wheel, PS pump, PS lines, and the rotors and calipers all around. Figured I'd try the infamous H6 Brake Upgrade, although I've only been able to find info on the rears, no idea if the fronts will fit so I'll just try it and see.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=165

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=166

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=167

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=168

Didn't get them all disassembled, just the rears for now. Next weekend I'll clean and paint them. I'm thinking shiny black to go behind my future gold wheels, what do you think?

wdb 11-01-2017 05:54 AM

Re: Project Berserker
 
Yes shiny black. I'm not a fan of brightly painted calipers (says the ex-STi owner).

SoCoNoHa 11-03-2017 12:02 PM

H6 Brakes
 
Ready for painting, mostly.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=169

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=170

SoCoNoHa 11-03-2017 05:32 PM

H6 Brakezerker
 
Painted

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=172

Assembled

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=173

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=175

Before

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=176

After

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=177

They don't look that impressive side by side but that's just because the H6 rotors are considerably larger. These things really grab, too. Much better feel and stopping power than the stockers. Tomorrow I'll see if the fronts fit.

SoCoNoHa 11-06-2017 08:53 AM

Early Christmas
 
I didn't get to the front brakes this weekend as I was running all over creation to gather more parts. What a haul. Got a resealed longblock, all the extra parts and gaskets to finish, radiator, AC condenser, a buttload of wiring harness (completely intact), and a very nice binder with detailed instructions and specifications.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=179

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=180

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=181

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=182

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=183

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=184

Got a trans from an older outback after my first target got sold before I could get it. Got the matching rear diff with it, as well as the clutch hydraulic master and slave. Right now the clutch in the car is cable actuated but I'm a little afraid of it breaking and leaving me stranded, so I'll look into the conversion to hydraulic. Hopefully I can use the original pedalset.

So now that I've got basically everything I need, it's time to get to work!

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=185


On a side note, it looks like one of my old rear calipers wasn't doing much...

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=178

SoCoNoHa 11-11-2017 12:46 PM

Wiring
 
Got the front H6 brakes on, bolted up with no issues. This thing stops!

...And then there's the wiring. It turns out I picked up a VDC setup. I have read these can be a pain to swap/convert/what have you, so I spent a few hours (like 7) digging through the wiring diagrams and decided it was possible to convert my harness to non-VDC. I had to re-pin the TCU connectors, as the VDC unit has three connectors while the non-VDC unit has two, and remove the extra wires not found in the non-VDC harness. I also removed the six wires from the VDC unit to the ECU. The ECU pinouts are the same between the two systems. The downside is the VDC controller uses the ABS sensors and appears to take the place of ABS. So if you want to convert your VDC wagon to non-VDC, there's considerably more wiring fun to be had, and possibly mechanical fun as well. But it should work for my purposes. Below are the re-pinned TCU connectors, with the nearly empty 3rd (green) connector, as well as my cheat sheet for the task.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=186

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=187

Here's the stuff I need

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=188

And the stuff I don't need

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=189

So that's basically all set. Once I get my engine and trans ready to drop in, I just have to take a week off so I can merge the harnesses. My SVX should already be in storage but I shredded a tire on my supposed ' last hurrah of the year' a few weeks ago and had to swap wheels. Finally got around to it today and took her for a ride... DAMN I love that car. SO much faster than my Impreza... for now...

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=190

wdb 11-18-2017 09:25 AM

Re: Project Berserker
 
Shredded a tire! Oh my. Glad that it didn't turn out too badly.

SoCoNoHa 12-09-2017 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdb (Post 747670)
Shredded a tire! Oh my. Glad that it didn't turn out too badly.

Yea, I got lucky! I was just a stone's throw away from my house at the time.

SoCoNoHa 12-09-2017 07:26 AM

I finally unwrapped the engine I picked up from Craigslist. It's much cleaner than the one I already had, but somewhere along the line some dirt/grit found it's way into the unprotected intake ports. I'll clean them out as best I can I guess.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=191

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=192

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=193

I also did a bunch of cleaning.

Timing Gear
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=194

Rear Diff - Before
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=198

Rear Diff - After
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=199

Transmission Bellhousing
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=200

'Stage 2' EBay Clutch Kit
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=201

I discovered the new engine didn't include a water pump, so I had to scavenge that from my other engine. No worries, I was already disassembling it to scavenge some stripped bolts for the timing cover.

After removing about 70 brutally soft allen head bolts and all the timing gear, out she popped.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=195

Looks like it's been sitting, alright.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=196

SoCoNoHa 12-09-2017 07:28 AM

Upon closer inspection of the newer parts, I found the section of the rear timing cover that seals against the water pump was gouged up pretty good. My old one may be dirty, but the mating surfaces are all smooth and flat so I'll just use that. The FSM states that inner timing covers and oil pumps are selective, so I'm gonna throw in the old oil pump as well to keep things consistent.

New cover on left, looks like a hammer/screwdriver job...
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=197

So now I'm collecting fluids and rtv and a torque wrench so I can button this thing up. I'd like to paint the timing/valve covers, but I don't have anywhere indoors I can paint, and outside is well below the recommended spraying temp.

For now, I picked up a timing kit for the EJ18 because my t-belt idlers sound like skateboard wheels, and I'd like it to last till spring.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=206

Non mechanically, I ordered a 99 grill, then discovered I need 98-01 headlights to fit so ordered those, some cheap aftermarket black housing things that actually look pretty good. Also grabbed a sweet shifter, just because I can.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=202

Before
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=203

After
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=204

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=205

I mean, how could I say no?
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=207

wdb 12-09-2017 11:10 AM

Re: Project Berserker
 
Ninja baby!

SoCoNoHa 12-26-2017 06:57 PM

I ordered a spoiler for it, the usual gc wing. Showed up broken.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=210

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=211

So I found one on craigslist haha, shoulda gone there first.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/pict...&pictureid=212

Unfortunately I probly won't make any real progress until springtime, unless someone wants to share their nice heated garage...;)

SoCoNoHa 04-11-2018 10:32 AM

Re: Project Berserker
 
I was convinced to join RS25.com by a guy I bought a BUNCH of parts off of, and I started a members journal for my Impreza. I'll probly update that one primarily just because it's a site for Imprezas.

Catch up on things here:
http://www.rs25.com/forums/f145/t243...-8t-3-0-a.html

Also I decided to hold off on the EZ30 swap (I know) and instead I've been putting together a turbo kit for the ej18 (I KNOW)that's already in the car. As it turns out, ej18s have forged rods and crank, thick cylinder walls, and have been known to withstand ungodly amounts of abuse. I'm talking some guy drained all the engine oil and was still able to drive one around the block, pegged to the rev limiter no less! :eek:

Anyway the 1.8 has a 9.5:1 CR and aggressive timing, making low boost setups very rewarding. I, however, have acquired some EJ22T heads that will drop the CR through the floor and allow me to run 'gobs' of boost.

And if I should blow up the engine? Then it's swap time!

Boy howdy, now that the weather is turning I can't wait to get back to working on (and driving, of course) my SVX!!!


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