My 3.3L Subie Conversion Thread, Got me some 914rubber stuff Options

[Chris H.]

Finally starting the thread. First, I never would have done this if it weren't for several of you helping me out, especially Ian at:

Cold Water Conversions

Ian tolerated dozens of questions from me as I decided which way to go. Thanks again!

Here is the candidate (or victim, depending on what side of the fence you are on):



A 1975 1.8L with California Emissions...I've had it for almost 11 years. During that time I have logged about 2800 miles on it. I decided to swap it out for a modern drive train so my daughter could drive it so I started looking for a 2.2L Subie and a 2WD auto trans. This setup CAN be made to work with a custom hanger, but it's not a very exciting trans. Think early '90's Camry or Corolla acceleration. I'm sure it could be re-geared but an Audi trans would probably be a much better option.

Then I found and SVX for cheap and changed directions entirely. Looks like my kid will be learning to drive a 5 speed Subie!

So far I have:



Strong running SVX engine



2006 WRX trans purchased from NASIOC



1990-1992 Honda Accord shifter Update - you cannot use this one unless you design something to reverse the shifter mechanism operation. Since it is designed for the trans in front of the car the mechanism moves in the opposite direction (mirror image) of what is needed. I ended up using an MR2 shifter.

If you don't feel like chasing this stuff down Ian will source it for you.

Next up I'll post the highlights of the SVX strip-down and note some of the pitfalls, valuable parts, and stuff to be careful not to break!

Any feedback, comments, questions, concerns are welcome. I want to do it right.

[Chris H.]

Tackled the engine wiring harnesses....

Because there was a gathering of nesting materials under the intake the wiring needed to be checked pretty closely. Mice love to chew through 914 wires as we know, but it looks like Subie wires don't taste quite as good.

Before:







Nothing was chewed, but there were some nicked wires, which likely explained the blinky lights on the dash. It was raining when I bought the car and every time I started it a different set of warning lights lit up. The engine ran great so I figured it was a wiring issue...







A little liquid tape..then regular electrical tape





And the end result:



The OEM covering was plastic tubing that can be found at Harbor Freight. It held up surprisingly well so that's what I replaced it with. The wiring underneath was very healthy and pliable. Of course I covered every last one even though it was not necessary... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Next up are the vacuum hoses, reinstall intake, alternator, etc. Then the main wiring harness. I want to test fire the engine before I put it in the car so that it will be easy to troubleshoot if there is something not connected right, etc.