DIY: Hopeless project.

[Rascal21]

Adapting the 20v for RWD use can be difficult when you get into the little details.

As for the water route I opted for the cheaper 16v RWD layout, which all though some say creates hot spots in the back of the 20v head, I still felt that I wanted to keep the heater without complicating things and keeping costs low to avoid compromises on other aspects of the engine swap.
So here`s how I tackled it:

I had my mechanic dremel a port between the two heater channels at the back of the head, this enabled the use of a simple steel plate with the same bolt-pattern and 16v RWD rear water neck as a water bypass (At a fraction the cost of certain kits out there)
At the same time, the original 20v water outlet (To the right of #4 exhaust port) was blocked off, with a plate:





The choice of water pump housing doesnt really make too much difference, what I did was to take the existing 16v RWD water pump housing, cut off the 16v TB cooling pipes, and ran a hose back to and through the heater and into the head water bypass.
For thermostat bypass I used a hose clamped to the 16v pipe that sits on top off the water pump housing, and ran it back to a SQ Engineering 20v water outlet adapter:



The adapter can also serve as a thermostat housing, but my setup runs the 16v RWD water pump housing, but theoretically this adapter enables the use of other and probably cheaper housings like MR2/20v/AE92/AE82 etc etc.

For ignition I went with a blanking cover and SQ Engineering dizzy reloc kit.

I also used a Tweak`d 20v SR5 Harness for this swap (But it`s not a requirement)

For fuel supply I used a Facet Red Top Competition low-pressure pump that lifts the fuel from the tank and into a 2L catch can, from there it`s sucked by a Walbro 255LPH High Pressure pump and through a universal Subaru Impreza fuel filter+Tomei Type-S FPR.

For vacuum routing I followed this guide to the letter:

In perspective, the costs were something like this:
Walbro 255LPH: 100E (Before all those copies brought the prices up)
Facet Red Top: 100E
2L Catch Can: 50E
Tomei Type-S FPR: 85-90E
Hoses, clamps, zip ties, screws etc somewhere around 60E
Dizzy Reloc+outlet adapter+dizzy blanking cover around 350-400E
Tweak`d SR5 20v harness c.a 250-300E (Again, not a requirement)

For a quick side-note I also used clear vacuum hoses (Have had issues with OEM vacuum hoses in the past), they did cost more pennies than I liked, but this engine is rumored to go all CEL (Check Engine Light) and low rpm limit safe mode when vacuum lines go crap.
So I simply nuked the problem from orbit, it`s the only way to make sure

People more skilled at this than I am (And for the record, I suck), would probably be able to cut all of these costs to a bare minimum, but if any detail of my swap helps just 1 person out, it was worth the 10 minutes I used to type this, in retrospective I spent years figuring this stuff out

Next up is brakes and suspension..

[Rascal21]

Help!!

It`s been a while since I updated this thread, I was hoping to have a video ready, but things did not turn out the way I hoped they would.


I need research help from people way more knowledgeable about suspension systems than I am...

The thing is, I finally got to the point where I could take the car for a test drive last friday!

Not 100 meters down the road, going 2nd gear idle (DEAD slow) because of oncoming traffic on tight road, in a car that has been off the road for 5 years, the right side coilover SNAPPED clean off just beneath the tophat/camber mount, then fell forward, as the car was still rolling (I am used to knocking sounds in that car, being an ex rally car), the bolts that connects the spindle to the steering arm snapped as well, so the whole strut, wheel and brake assembly simply fell off, making a mess of the LCA balljoint

Everybody is fine, everybody who saw and stopped and was curious had a good laugh (Including me, at the time), nobody was hurt, no crashes occured etc and I`m glad experience has taught me to be cautious

The car is fine luckily, dented fender (Easily fixed), and I`ve overhauled the front suspension bushings for polyurethane ones, awaiting balljoint now, but the Bilstein insert is keked.

This is the only forum I know of where there is a gathering of Bilstein users who KNOW what they are talking about

The thing is, I dont have time or money to adapt the entire setup to a OEM-like coilover setup.

Firstly, finding matching struts is a pain as evidenced by my topic where we couldnt find out EXACTLY what spindles my car has, only knowing it closely resembles TE71 (Inner wheel bearing diameters are different) but the strut assembly, the way the coilover is installed on the spindle, is more resemblent to that of a FWD setup where its bolted to the strut with 2 bolts (As you`ll see in a pic below).

Secondly, keeping the brakes I have and just going with AE86 struts, I would need special disc spacer bells and caliper brackets etc for fitting the CP2270 Closed Back calipers to AE86 struts, this kit ALONE retails at more than I make per month.

So I have to make do with what I have and get similar coilovers based on dimensions taken from the still intact Left Side front coilover, I dismantled as much as I could without using violent means and I am hoping someone here might have an idea as to how this can be identified and if it or its equivalent is available:


I`d even be happy with el cheapo normal strut-like dampeners so long as they fit the bottom brackets dimensions (64,5mm spacing, 16mm diameter bolts), I can always modify the camber plates with a drill or something at a workshop. Wont even have to be Bilstein, I`m THAT desperate

[Bean]

if I see right you have an inverted damper setup. what I fail to see from the pic is how the strut fits to the bottom bracket. If it's screwed, please give us diameter and pitch of the thread.

PS: the top failing, apart from age, might have been also due to an overtightened top nut.

[Rascal21]

(07-14-2014 07:19 PM)Bean Bandit Wrote:  if I see right you have an inverted damper setup. what I fail to see from the pic is how the strut fits to the bottom bracket. If it's screwed, please give us diameter and pitch of the thread.

PS: the top failing, apart from age, might have been also due to an overtightened top nut.

Bean Bandit Thank god!

The Top nut is a M24 nylon lock thread, and it wont BUDGE, so definitely overtightened by one of the previous owners (The suspension is the only stuff I have not touched on this car)

It fits to the bottom bracket (The spindle I presume) by getting slid on and bolted using two 16mm bolts.

Here is the spindle and strut with the bottom bracket (The strut the wrong way, as I quickly put it there to take the photo, but you know the idea anyway) to illustrate:


Doing it this way was NOT my idea, I was a toddler when this car was modified for rally, I have minimal suspension knowledge and experience but I knew this stuff wasnt optimal, but hoped it would last a 250m ride at idle in 2nd gear to and from the store when its stood up to 25 years of what you can probably guess by looking at this stuff

[Bean]

maybe a shot in the dark, but you should be able to replace the damper itself and reuse everything else... http://grp4fabrications.com/index.php?cP...=3a&page=1

[Rascal21]

I`ve thought about it, but how can I remove the damper from the shell when its all welded shut or overtightened?

[Bean]

(07-14-2014 08:57 PM)Rascal21 Wrote:  I`ve thought about it, but how can I remove the damper from the shell when its all welded shut or overtightened?

Can you take some clearer pictures of the damaged strut? Basically there's a bigger stud on top and a smaller bolt on the bottom. The top nut you could cut/grind off without damaging the topmount, as the rest is part of the damper. The actual casing usually is just a tube with a bearing to guide the damper.

[Rascal21]

Oh ok, so once I get the camber plate off (I have a MIG welder with gas and just finished a year of mechanical school) and the nut at the bottom off (Done that) the insert will slide out of the tube and I dont have to cut the shell in half or anything?

Got a pic of the big stud or know where it might be? All I see is a huge camber plate with a nylon lock nut surrounding a threaded top portion of the piston. No studs sticking out anywhere of the top portion of the tube or piston.

I REALLY am new at this, never fiddled with dampening or struts or shells or springs etc etc, forgive my stupidity.

[Bean]

that is the stud (the one with the nylon lock nut)
here's an illustration

[Rascal21]

Aaah alright, finally got the stuff out.
Definitely overtightened top nut, the process of getting it out involved a MIG and breaker arm and counter weight and sledge hammer.

The cartridges are both dead too, the one I took out is completely seized, the one that broke can be pushed in by my unborn son, and doesnt even extend all the way back out..

650mm extended length, getting some "not so long ago" released inverted 40mm GAZ replacements.

Thank you so much for assistance Bean Bandit, I learned something useful