Suby-engined rustoration, 21-Sep-2024 update: more racing-related carnage! Options

[jd74914]

I had the exact same problem, broke the axle in half on the suby side, but it also blew up the Porsche joint at the same time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif) I just had another axle resplined and i live on and slip the clutch on. One day ill get some 4340’s

Looks familiar (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) Did your axle break due to a hard launch? Dutchman recommends their Hy-Tuf material over the 4340s. I didn't ask about any price differential...

Yep, a hard launch on a dragstrip with sticky 245s, I talked to dutchman a while ago but I didn’t end up buying (yet) i will someday. As for the material I have no idea about the material strength of either or price. I just know that 300m isn’t exactly ideal for my axles (that i do remember)

Really? Wonder why-300M is generally considered the ideal shaft material, followed by 4340 (both heat treated) since they have approximately similar strength with 300m having better fracture toughness.

Hy-Tuf has better fracture toughness than either by a pretty big margin (~x2 as good), but isn't quite as strong. In this case, it appears you need additional yield strength to prevent the deformation, not better fracture toughness so I feel like 300m/4340 is a better choice, but I'm not a shaft designer so who knows.

[strawman]

As mentioned in post #372 above, I bought a wrecked 2005 Subaru Legacy GT. I paid for $1,000 plus $100 to have it delivered to my house (on Saturday morning). It came with receipts showing a new turbo, water pump, timing belt and related tensioners in the last 2k miles. This is not quite the highly-sought after EJ257 out of an Impreza WRX STi, but it has 250hp from the factory and it is relatively easy to increase power through either an e-tuner (Cobb AccessPort, for example) or through a specialty shop with a dyno. Below is a picture of the damage to the car; the rear suspension was torn to shreds, but the car still drove up my driveway and into my work bay. It revs freely, has no check engine codes, and I let it idle until the radiator fans kicked-in. It shows oil drippage from one of the valve covers, but otherwise there was no drama.



I spent the weekend tearing it apart, and putting away the parts I will need to swap this EJ255 engine into my 914. I plan to adapt the gauge cluster (replacing the 1998 Forester cluster I'm currently using) into a new dash pod, the drive-by-wire accelerator pedal, and I'll see if I can adapt the tilt-steering column and related factory parts (leather Momo wheel, headlight/turn signal stalk, cruise control, etc.). Obviously, the airbag won't be functional. I kept a portion of the Legacy's dash top to help mock up the dash pod, and I pulled the entire wiring harness (except for the wires behind the b-pillars). What a PITA!

I plan to adapt my current air-to-water intercooler setup, flywheel/clutch, Accusump, cast aluminum oil pan, and the exhaust from my current EJ22t engine. I'll keep the EJ255's rear inlet orientation so that I can run an A/C compressor (more on that later) and alternator in the factory EJ255 locations; I'll toss the power steering pump. If you'll remember from a previous post, I had to flip the intake on the EJ22t to avoid cutting into the rear trunk/engine firewall -- but the EJ255's intake is much more compact. Below are a couple of pics.





I then paid $150 to have it hauled away yesterday, although I filled it with all the car-related junk I've collected over the past six years from my various other engine swap projects (BMW S52 into 318ti, VW tdi into Eurovan, etc.) and other car rebuilds -- so it was money well-spent. I resisted the urge to salvage every last part from the Legacy GT that I could possibly sell on eBay or Craigslist -- that is becoming such a PITA lately that I just took what I needed, or that could be quickly/easily sold (5EAT transaxle, rear differential, climate control/radio pod, battery, one unbroken headlight). I also grabbed the under-wing 3rd brake light to see if it can be adapted to my 914.

Over the next couple of months, my plan is to replace all gaskets, seals and hoses on the engine while I continue to hammer the car at autocrosses and possible Buttonwillow track days to see what else can break. I'll also dig into the wiring harness; this time I plan to mount the ECU in the cabin rather than the rear trunk. Then I'll prep it for paint, test fit the new EJ255 engine, pull everything off the chassis and paint it. Stay tuned!

[JRust]

Nice score bud. That is the way to do it. Make for a nice little upgrade later for sure. Should have some more bottom end grunt as well

[strawman]

I just got off the phone with Travis at Dutchman Axles, and my new axle shafts will be here by the middle of next week. I'll share the drawings once they're emailed to me.

One more picture: these are the wheel centers from my BBS Motorsports E52 wheels. Central Coast Powdercoating is charging me $200 to blast these and coat in Gloss Black. Replacement hardware is coming (from McMaster-Carr), so my hope is to re-polish the lips/barrels, assemble the wheels and have 'em back together before the next autocross on June 16.

[charliew]

Still waiting for someone to do a Subaru motor and auto gearbox in a teener! Can they be abused a little without blowing up?

That's my plan so far even though I eventually want to build a Subaru manual trans with the final drive modified to 3:55 or so. That ratio is also why I've modified an SVX trans for 2wd behind my EG33 - it came with the donor car and it works. It's REALLY heavy though - probably 200+ lbs so my rear springs will be upgraded as well. I'm interested to see how well the automatic will work with highway cruising. Can you say 80mph at 2600rpm?? And the drivetrain shock should be less as well - I'm using the hybrid axles from Dutchman so we'll see... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

that will probably work pretty good unless you hit a pothole or speedbump under power, not sure about that but I bet it will be just fine. can you do the obx in the svx tranny?

[strawman]

One more for today: here is the engineering drawing I just received from Dutchman Axles. FYI, I am using 108mm 911 CV joints on the big end, and Subaru inner tripod joints on the small end. The cost is $585 for the pair.

 Dutchman_engineering_drawing_of_914_axles.pdf ( 43.65k ) Number of downloads: 153

[charliew]

my son's 05 sti used a pulse width modulated fuel pump with a little driver box if I remember correctly to change the pressure. I actually thought the legacy hotrod version used the 6 spd though. When I redid my son's empi type wheels on his bug I used a 320 grit flapper wheel and then a scotchbrite roll and they might have looked better than new. One of them was pretty gouged up on a lip from getting upside down. The lip was just not quite as thick anymore. I like the bbs wheels. my fieros have the gm copys but one piece of course.

[strawman]

Still waiting for someone to do a Subaru motor and auto gearbox in a teener! Can they be abused a little without blowing up?

This would be cool. The biggest problem may be the electronics -- both the 4EAT and the five-speed 5EAT have a separate Transmission Control Unit that likely needs to communicate with the ECU. There is at least one company that builds 5EATs and related equipment to take abuse in the relatively heavy and higher-boosted Legacy GT/XT and Forester XT.

If I cannot sell the 5EAT that came out of my car in the next few weeks, I'll open it up (in the name of science, of course!) and see if it is possible to lock the FWD and RWD together. I'll also check to see what sensors are in each end.

[Chris H.]

In a stock Subaru with a 4EAT there is a fuse you can pull that puts the trans in front wheel drive mode.

[effutuo101]

Depends on how you do the tilt steering. Jeff had to do a bunch of fab work on mine. All of the geometry changed. It may be easier to put a removable steering wheel on the stock steering unit.
Nice score! Watching this thread.

[mgp4591]

In a stock Subaru with a 4EAT there is a fuse you can pull that puts the trans in front wheel drive mode.

There is Chris but all it does is disable the electric clutch that engages the driveshaft to the rear. It still doesn't get rid of the long tailshaft needed to couple the rear shaft so that's why I picked up the 2wd endplate and shaft/bearing assembly - drops right in.

[76-914]

Still waiting for someone to do a Subaru motor and auto gearbox in a teener! Can they be abused a little without blowing up?

This would be cool. The biggest problem may be the electronics -- both the 4EAT and the five-speed 5EAT have a separate Transmission Control Unit that likely needs to communicate with the ECU. There is at least one company that builds 5EATs and related equipment to take abuse in the relatively heavy and higher-boosted Legacy GT/XT and Forester XT.

If I cannot sell the 5EAT that came out of my car in the next few weeks, I'll open it up (in the name of science, of course!) and see if it is possible to lock the FWD and RWD together. I'll also check to see what sensors are in each end.

Jeff, I believe I have a 5 EAT controller. If you need one PM me and I'll dig around for it. Kent (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[mgp4591]

If I cannot sell the 5EAT that came out of my car in the next few weeks, I'll open it up (in the name of science, of course!) and see if it is possible to lock the FWD and RWD together. I'll also check to see what sensors are in each end.
[/quote]

Pull the tailshaft off the 5EAT and you'll see the electromagnetic clutch assy. You should be able to take the endplate and shaft assy from a 2wd and drop it right in - there's no way to lock up the automatic like there is the manual that I'm aware of. Check out the size of the electric clutch assy and necessary tailshaft...

[Andyrew]

Depends on how you do the tilt steering. Jeff had to do a bunch of fab work on mine. All of the geometry changed. It may be easier to put a removable steering wheel on the stock steering unit.
Nice score! Watching this thread.

Fabbing up the tilt steering on mine caused a bunch of problems. Just FYI. I wouldnt do it again.

[strawman]

Fabbing up the tilt steering on mine caused a bunch of problems. Just FYI. I wouldnt do it again.

Yeah, I'm starting to rethink this. Since it only lowers the column about an inch -- and it doesn't telescope -- it probably is not worth the headaches. To override the factory immobilizer, I'll have to place the chipped key and ignition "antenna" under the dash.

Below is a picture of one of the pair of gleaming new Dutchman axles shafts, sitting next to the mock-up. You can see that they tapered it down from the Porsche 911 outer CV spline to the smaller Subaru inner tripod joint spline. All told, with shipping of my parts to Dutchman, the cost of the axles and shipping back to me, it cost just under $700. The Hy-Tuf material is some sort of space-age, high-strength and low-alloy steel used for aircraft landing gear. So the axles are likely not the weak-point anymore. I hope to get the car back on the road this weekend. I also need to assemble my BBS Motorsports wheels now that I've got the centers back from Central Coast Powdercoating. More pics to follow soon!

[charliew]

those axles look real nice. I don't dee how anything will break now. A long time ago I corresponded with a well known tranny guy that was on nasioc a lot, and he thought the light weight of the 914 and the smaller tire footprint would sorta protect the 5spd 05 up manual tranny in this application. course if a person really tries to tear something up in a car he can usually manage that feat.

[strawman]

Man, life gets in the way. Finally got the axles together, the tires mounted on the resto-ed wheels, and everything buttoned up today. It was great driving it again. have an autocross on Saturday; I am hoping everything goes well and I don’t break anything. In the meantime, I’ve been prepping the EJ255 engine for installation after the autocross season ends in early fall.

[strawman]

The Subaru EJ22T engine and accessories are now officially for sale as I wind down the preparation to install the "monster" EJ255 engine. You can find it in the Classifieds.

[strawman]

A quick update: I helped load the Suby EJ22T engine into Phillip's truck last Sunday, and I continue to ready my car for the swap to an EJ255 that I took out of the '05 Legacy GT (LGT) mentioned above. I look forward to helping him with his swap, since he lives in nearby Paso Robles.

Below are some of the things I'm doing in prep for my swap:

1. E85 fuel for increased octane and a cooler intake charge -- in order to run ethanol, I needed to upgrade the fueling system. I've recently purchased Injector Dynamics 1050X (1000cc) top-feed injectors, Cosworth aluminum fuel rails, -6AN fuel lines and fittings run in a parallel setup (rather than series), an Aeromotive 13129 adjustable fuel pressure regulator, Radium 10-micron stainless media fuel filter, electronic fuel pressure sensor, AEM 340 lph fuel pump, and a Cobb 312550 Flex-Fuel kit. I also deleted the stock Tumble Generator Valves & sensors from a set of 2008 WRX top-feed intakes, welded up the holes using my TIG, and then smoothed and port-matched them to the heads. I already installed Tangerine Racing stainless 9.5mm feed and 8mm return fuel lines, but need to wire-in/install the Suby fuel pump controller somewhere near the fuel tank/pump.

2. Rebuilt heads -- on Sunday night I checked the valve lash clearance. Dammit; one of the exhaust valves on cylinder #1 has a tight clearance. I couldn't even get an 0.003" feeler in, when an 0.0138" is ideal. Bigger dammit: I then ran a leak down test and found the #1 cylinder is fine, but one exhaust valve each on cylinders #3 and #4 are leaking badly. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif) I will remove the heads this weekend and send them to OutFront Motorsports in Buena Park, CA for rebuilds. Base cost is $550 for the pair. I'm also having the AVCS cam gears rebuilt while they're out; the AVCS varies the timing of the intake cams for better low-end grunt / high rpm power based on load and rpm. I plan to use ARP 11mm studs and OEM head gaskets when I put it all back together.

3. Turbo & oiling system -- I recently purchased a new/custom BNR hybrid VF40/18G turbo that uses a TD05H turbine. It is good to about 365whp in an AWD Subaru Legacy GT, which translates to about 425hp at the crank. As part of this setup, I also upgraded the oiling system (11mm oil pump vs. 10mm), and purchased improved supply lines & separate filter for the turbo. This meant I also had to upgrade my VDO oil pressure gauge/sender from 0-80 psi to 0-100 psi. I will adapt the 3-qt. Accusump system I had on the EJ22T, as well as the SmallCar cast aluminum oil pan. My VDO oil temp sender is mounted in the oil pan drain plug. I will also install a Grimmspeed 3-port Electronic Boost Solenoid in place of the OEM unit.

4. Exhaust -- I will start out using the shortened Invidia bellmouth downpipe and Flowmaster 843015 muffler that I made for the EJ22T swap, even though it is a little (lot!) loud. I bought a used Grimmspeed catless uppipe to help quicken spool-up. I will port-match the EJ255 cast iron manifolds, and drill/tap a hole to install the VDO EGT probe. The EJ255's ECU only needs one O2 sensor in one of the two iron manifolds (after I tune-out the post-cat one), and I'll keep my AEM wideband O2 air-fuel ratio sensor in my downpipe (and plug the hole that the EJ22T O2 sensor used).

5. Intake system -- I originally planned to to use the FrozenBoost Type 13 (11"x9.25"x3.5" with 2.5" inlet/outlet) air-to-water intercooler from my old EJ22T, but since it is only good to about 350hp I decided to upgrade to the larger Type 14 unit (12.25"x12.25"x4.5" with 3" inlet/outlet) good for up to 600hp. This of course required new/larger hoses, piping, clamps, etc. I will install a Tial blow-off valve that vents to atmosphere, since I'll also be switching from the stock MAF to a speed density system, which does not require a Bypass Valve (BPV) recirculating system. I also purchased an IAG Street Series Air-Oil Separator (AOS) system to remove vapors from the crankcase, which is especially important when using E85 fuel. The IAG AOS system is expensive, but it apparently does the best job of keeping oil out of the intake tract. My turbo inlet is custom; I'm using an HPS offset silicon connector at the turbo, which allows me to use a 3" aluminum tube (with ports only for the PCV/AOS system; no BPV port necessary) straight to a huge K&N cone filter. This is possible because it is a straight shot forward from the turbo now that I've removed the factory power steering pump.

6. ECU & Tuning -- I purchased a Cobb AccessPort V3 to both monitor the tune in real-time and so that my tuner (Pokrajac Auto in San Luis Obispo) change pro-tune it. Mike Pokrajac is a well-known Suby and Mitsubishi Evo tuner on the Central Coast, and he just installed a Mustang Dyno that should be up-n-running in the next week or so. My ECU is out of a '04 Subaru Forester XT, which will be flashed to mimic an '04 WRX STi to start the car prior to tuning; I modified my '05 LGT engine wiring harness to match that of an '04 STi, too. The system will automatically sense the percentage of ethanol content and adjust all pertinent tuning parameters; it allows me to also run gasoline without having to manually switch tunes. I am shooting for a conservative 300whp on E85, which Mike assures me is safe/conservative and won't require me to upgrade to forged pistons (but I'll start saving money now, anyway (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stirthepot.gif) ).

7. Wiring -- instead of mounting the ECU in my rear trunk, I will mount the '04 FXT ECU inside the cab between the seats. I will also install a couple of Summit fuse panels in that area, which I plan to cover with a custom fiberglass console. That will also hide my shifter cables/console. I'm toying with using the '05 LGT gauge cluster, since I have to modify my original fiberglass housing I made for my '98 Forester cluster that I'm currently using.

My first 2019 PCA autocross is in early February, so I've got my work cut out for me. I'll post some pics of the heads this weekend after I pull 'em off. Stay tuned!

[strawman]

Well, I forgot to take pics of the heads before packing them and shipping them off to OutFront. But here they are all rebuilt-n-shiny as received back yesterday. OutFront shaved the heads two-thousandths to ensure they are perfectly flat, ground the valves/seats, installed new valve guides (extra $$), set the valve lash, and leak-tested them. With shipping and tax, I paid $823 not counting the $46 to ship 'em to OutFront last week.



This weekend I'll chase the threads in the block, install the new ARP head studs, place the OEM head gaskets, and torque these heads on. That will make my wife happy, since she doesn't quite appreciate "art" on the kitchen table like I do...

On other fronts, it turns out the SmallCar cast aluminum oil pan interferes with the stock "oil cooler" that is sandwiched between the block and the oil filter. Actually, after some research I found that this is a misnomer, because it is actually an oil warmer to quicken the clean-emissions warm-up time. So I removed it; the factory eliminated it in MY2007, too. To eliminate it, I purchased a factory plug to block-off the coolant passage in the block (P/N 11021AA121), bought a shorter threaded pipe to mount the oil filter directly to the block (P/N 15018AA050), and muscled the coolant pipe out of the water pump and tapped it for a 1/4" NPT stainless plug. That'll save about three pounds and also eliminated three small molded rubber hoses.

The bummer is that I stripped the M6-1.0 threads in the block for one of the oil-pan bolts... so I'll pick up a Heli-Coil kit today and fix it tonight. Thank gawd the engine is still on the stand!

I also purchased all of the fuel hose and -6AN connections ($$$), as well as a mount for the Radium fuel filter. I'll mock up the fuel system this weekend and snap a few pics. Stay tuned!