Thanks Chris.

I think this is the an 90

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/aer-fbm1120/overview/

That's it! Just got it today. I searched the straight one I bought originally and it was easy to find with your pic. No excuses now I guess. Better get at it.

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***NOTICE*** This thread needs action or risk exposure in the "Slacker's Thread"!

Duly noted sir. I'll get some updates in here pretty soon.

As soon as he gets his car started, he call you out.

It's the adrenaline . I do need to update this thread though. Pretty much just posting on Kent's the last couple of months!

BTW what gauge aluminum/sheet metal is best for radiator shrouding and where do you get it? I went to Home Depot and the stuff they stock is too thin. I see special order thicknesses but not sure which is the best mix of firm yet flexible. I assume aluminum is what everyone uses?

I used some sheet metal I had laying around. You'll get some mild oxidation with the aluminum where it comes in contact with the body steel. I'd go steel. For your aluminum needs; aircraftspruce.com We will be looking for lots of pic's. And yes Mike, Chris will be chiding me next but that's how it works in this suby group. We're a Mutual Prodding Society.

Yeah I'm saving mine up...

So...sheet steel..what gauge?? Can I get it at a home improvement place?

20 0r 22ga? I'll check it this evening. Yes, you can get it at the depot or lowe's. TIP: Bobco metals in LA will cut and ship just about any piece of metal. Go get 'em Hot Rod.

Finally finished my hydraulic clutch setup! Whew! Nerve wracking. Normally I don't do much measuring and re-measuring but this time there could not be a mm of extra space. My car is rust free and any car enthusiast from the Midwest knows that you better be REALLY careful cutting holes in or near the floor of an un-galvanized VW product. I think the extra time was worth it, because it's gonna be well sealed.

If you have a 19mm MC and are going to use a bracket like this you might as well drill out the original MC pedal cluster bolts because they will be too short. Be careful not to mangle the surrounding area. It takes a lot of abuse getting kicked with your feet so the metal can't be weak. I used a dremel with a cutoff wheel and then the sand stone grinder.

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Just need to re-paint it now.

Found these 30mm long metric bolts at HD with the lock washer heads. very nice because they grip the cluster so you don't have to clamp them to tighten them. The nut is 13mm just like stock

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Here's the wide shot. I had to trim mine because the MC had a groove in it. It's a little loose so it looks like it's sagging left (it is). The hole next to it is for the hydraulic line. Used a 5/16 bit and then widened it a little more.

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And the side shot. You can see how I measured out for the hole. Just bolted up the bracket without the MC on it and traced out the outline for reference. DO NOT cut the entire hole out. Then I drilled a hole just below the center line starting with small bits and going larger until the hole was large enough to test fit the setup. Need to trim just above the pin as you can see, but the hole is still very small. NOTE: the rubber baffle seal is not installed yet which will seal it up nicely.

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Inside shot. Man the clutch action feels soooooo smooth. I know it will firm up when pressurized but it feels a lot different (better).

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Floor shot

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Gotta say very nice engineering Kent! Even though my brake MC required me to trim the bracket, it's still just as strong as before. Once I hook up the brace it'll be awesome.

Next on the list: I cut 2 more holes in the ^&*&^ing trunk for the radiator hoses (small ones) and attach the hoses underneath.

Find a local steel supply place. A 4x8 of .050 aluminum is near $50. .050 is what RH uses.

It's a VERY tight fit in there for sure.

One thing I did differently was to double-brace on either side of the clutch master. I was getting a little movement there and the additional brace seemed to work well.

You're also going to want to make the hole through that wall a little bigger. I found that there is a little up/down movement when pushing the clutch in/out.

Just a thought or two...

Good call on the extra brace Doug. I enlarged the hole a bit last night after the test fit, just wanted to remove as little as possible. It's probably about 3-4mm larger above the pin. Should be enough but we'll see.

You should be fine with that. I just bigger than I thought I would need....because I usually under-estimate things.

Great job, Chris. Doug is correct. There is about 3/8" up n down movement on that rod due to the movement of the pedal cam thru it's cycle. I ended up with a 3/4" hole which I thought was small but I don't live in lower Slobovia, either. That bellows seal will cover any hole up to 1.5". Once you've determined the clutch pedal travel, set the stop nut on the end of the pedal. I suspect this is where Doug "felt" flexing or his floor metal is thin. You shouldn't have to exert more than 5lb pressure to engage the clutch so if the pedal flexes and adding one brace 2" to the right side helps, I'd look elsewhere. IOW, if it flexes, the left side of the cluster is receiving the down force and the right side the up force, so a brace on the right should be unnecessary but it won't hurt anything either. Good to see you posting again, Chris. Hurry, you only have 3 weeks until Winter strikes Chicagoland again.

Well, I finally headed back to the engine bay to work on the exhaust/engine mount stuff and noticed this:

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Left Subie motor mount.... I knew it was cracked before but over the winter it really opened up. Probably can't ignore it any more or it will crack in half. It's 20 years old...can't be too surprised. Looks like the SVX guys do one of three things:

1. replace these with STI "Group N" mounts ($150 shipped per pair)
2. Fill the cracked mounts with urethane and let them harden (sounds sketchy)
3. buy new ones for ~$300+ (nope)

I noticed the PrecisionChassis 3.3L looks like the engine cradle is bolted directly to the engine at the motor mount points without any rubber isolators. Always wondered if I could do something like that since I have rubber mounts at both ends of my cradle.

I wouldn't want to trust that for a couple of reasons. First, I think the engine vibration could promote cracking at weld points on the cradle or possibly more. The 3.3 has a good amount of torque- might pretzel up a cradle. Second, vibration into the rest of the car could make a harmonic howl that drives you crazy!

Yeah the vibration is what I'm worried about. Looks like the Group Ns are pretty stiff. Another project! Yeah!

Found the right side mount,still looking for the left. PM me your address and I'll ship you a set.

Bob

Thanks Bob! Will do! That saves me a huge pile of money and time!

FYI, I just noticed that the pic Doug posted has the brace on the wrong side. That might induce some flex. Also, I recommend that you take a piece of 2" PVC x 1.5" long and when looking at it from the end, cut out a section from 12 o'clock to 4 o'clock. This piece will "snap" over the steering rack. Once on, rotate it until the void (12-4) is facing down. This will give the clearance needed for the steering cover to bolt up w/o interference. There will be enough room for this piece to fit between obstacles but only on the left side. The reason for this PVC piece is twofold. 1st is to protect the metal on the steering arm from the harder steel brace and secondly it should have some quietening effect upon the pedal assm.

My brace is on the correct side then? I think it is. Great call on the PVC. I was planning to use some extra rubber welting or something.

The brace goes between the two M/C's, the left side of the clutch MC.

I forget what I switched it to, but one side gave me a ton of flex, and the other was solid. I did have it wrong at one point. I ended up adding a second just to be safe. Now it's solid as a rock.

So I had it on wrong too then...is what you're saying very nicely Kent...

See that's why I'm going slow...been a little stressed lately...I'm surprised you didn't notice this...

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Yeah I drilled out and widened THE WRONG HOLE for the brace initially. No harm done but I felt pretty stupid. That's when I stopped for a week or so and gathered more parts. Back at it now though!

Wellll....really good day today!

Got my speedhut gauges:

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And even better, I got this from BIGKAT_83.

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I bought my exhaust setup from Bob last year and knew it might take some fiddling to get it to fit with Ian's cradle but I wanted it. Then I recently found a cracked motor mount (has nothing to do with the cradle or exhaust, it's just 20 years old). So Bob GAVE ME his old mount which bolts directly to the engine. It's similar to the smallcar mount and very sturdy and strong. Can't wait to get it bolted up! Everything will fit perfectly now. Thanks again Bob!!!!

Keeps getting better.... Got a package from Kent! Some pedal cluster stuff and half a map cylinder to attach to the front valance. Just in time too! My pictures were not legible enough to post but I'll take some more later. Thanks Kent!

Those are sweet. Hide the bill from your wife. I'm just jealous. Shoot us a pic of your cracked mount. I want to be sure I didn't miss that and a pic would help. FWIW, I shit canned those stamped metal pieces (w/3 bolt holes on the front mounts) and replaced them with 3/16" plate steel. Keep after it my brother. You only have 2 more weeks of summer in Chicago.

Nice ... Did you get them to eliminate the 'Speedhut' printing?

No, the logo is prominently displayed . I didn't get anything special actually, just the blue lighting which I thought was cool. Man these things are thin. 2" or less.

Kent, I'll try to get those mounts off and shoot you some pics today.

EDIT: Also BTW Kent the good news is I've collected so many gauges I can probably recoup 60% of my Speedhut cost! Now...if I can just allow myself to sell 'em! They're like family now!

OK here are the pics of the dead mount....

The cracks seem to form where the indentions are in the rubber. They are almost all the way around it.

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It started losing its magic fluid too...looks and smells like some sort of gear oil.

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I had one of the 911 sport mounts go wonky on me so had to order a replacement...in the meantime I'm cleaning up the engine bay. The entire firewall was covered with glue residue...whaddayaknow it's BLUE under there!!!

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Still have to mount the battery tray on the other side, etc.

Great project Chris. Keep at it.

Thanks Gerard! Yours is looking good too! I like the way you extended your firewall without losing the stock shape. I have lots of updates, just haven't had time to post them but will try to get at it soon.

OK finally time to update this. The most exciting news is is that I put water in the radiator and started it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajYeJMkHopY


For those working on or planning conversions, make sure the first time you fill your car, use WATER ONLY (distilled if possible), especially if you have animals or small children. There were a few small drips here and there and also found an extra threaded port hole the radiator that I didn't notice .

The bad news is there was a small oil leak. Didn't expect that at all since I (thought I) re-sealed everything. It was coming out of the timing belt cover in the middle. Had to take the &(*&ing alternator, compressor, timing belt cover, pulley, etc off. There was no oil on the belt or anywhere else except the bottom of the oil pump housing. Guess what the ONE THING WAS THAT I DIDN'T re-seal....

The good news is that after a couple dozen searches I found a guy who instructed someone with the same problem to take a 10mm socket and tighten the crap out of the bottom oil pump bolt. IT STOPPED LEAKING!!!! Hopefully it stays that way. I'll re-seal it when I do the head gaskets next year.

Got the Speedhut gauges hooked up.

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Couple of notes here...

You have to lengthen the wires for the water temp and the oil pressure. The sensors are also 1/8 NPT fittings, which means you will need adapters for use with the Subaru. I am using the stock ECU so I was hesitant to remove the stock temp and oil pressure sensors for fear the ECU would get upset that the readings were zero.

The Speedhut oil pressure sensor is 1/8 NPT, Subaru is 1/8 BSPT. NEVER EVER (EVER) try to force the Speedhut sensor into the stock hole without an adapter. You'll have the mother of all oil pressure problems if you do.

For oil pressure I found this cool adapter:

Oil Pressure Adapter

It allows you to run both the stock and the Speedhut sensors at the same time. There are two other ports as well which I plugged with these:

Plugs

Here's what it looks like installed:

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BARELY clears the alternator but it does.

I got lucky and was also able to find an adapter for my Yamaha filler neck (16mmx1.5 to 1/8 NPT) to replace the sender that was in there so that is where my temp sensor is.

Can't go any farther without mentioning Bob. He gave me his mount as I mentioned before, which really helped. The EG33 is the longest of all Subie engines and with Ian's mount the AC compressor was touching the firewall. Now it's back about 4 inches with much more room to work.

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Thanks again Bob!

I moved my battery over to the other side using the stock tray AND support. Just bent it around the opposite way and tweaked it a bit.

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BTW that optima is 11 years old and still charges like the day I bought it. Had to keep it turned that way so that the + lead would reach.

Here's the radiator setup.

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Celica rad is very easy to install (idea from Bob). I have the top completed, just want to be sure that all is well before I seal it up, plus I need to cut the hole in the valance and two of the screws/bolts are up front there.

I used 3/4 and 7/8 gates green stripe underneath. It sits right in the recesses, barely even protrudes below.

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Wow! Your there my man. Way to go. A drive is near. I laughed at your extra radiator hole. I did it to. Makes you feel kinda dumb, don't it? Does your ECU miss it's link to temperature? I had no idea your engine sat the far forward before. What was your axle alignment like then? Was it also way forward? The EZ 6 is 1.5" longer than the 4 cyl. Shoot some pics of your mount. More pic's.

Edit: I've got hole punch's if you need 'em.

BTW I will be re-taping the joints on the rad...had to remove the aluminum tape when I took the radiator out to seal up the threaded hole. Should be pretty air-tight.

The one odd issue I am having is that it seems like the thermostat is acting weird. I tapped the return line for the reservoir at the lowest point right at the water pump.

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Should be drawing a nice vacuum there. The temp sensor is on the return line side and doesn't register at all for a long time, then shoots up pretty high all at once. The return line gets VERY HOT and the pump doesn't seem to run until the engine is pretty hot. The lines under the car are cold for quite a while.

Might be air in the system...any thoughts?

That might be the issue I am describing above. It seems like the water pump is not running right away. I didn't remove the temp sensor. Are you having that problem?

EDIT: I still have the stock temp sensor installed. FYI

Your temp sensor acting strange does sound like air in the system but the way you have it set up should eliminate all that. And I hope you're talking about your radiator fans turning on- the water pump always runs as it's driven by the timing belt. If you've got the engine hot enough often that will drive air out or when the neighbors won't complain, rev it up to get the speed up for your coolant. That may drive out the air also. After you get all that out I'd recommend a water wetter- by helping to eliminate surface tension in the water it also helps the air move along out of the path if the problem reoccurs during future maintenance. Good luck- great build so far! And I'm picking up all kinds of ideas as mine is using the same parts... when I can work on it...

No I don't have the fans hooked up yet. I was wondering if maybe the thermostat on the water pump was staying closed for too long....it won't actually allow the water to flow up to the radiator until the engine is hot enough. Looks like it opens at 172 degrees. After some searches I found that many people drill holes in them to get some flow going beforehand. Wish I could just remove it entirely...some say the water would move too fast and not cool, others say it's fine. Anyone have insight to share?

I already have some water wetter ready to go. Once I'm sure I won't have to drain the system I'll throw it in.

Good luck with your build!

Thanks! And true, alot of t-stats already have holes in them to promote flow at low speeds. I suppose you could drill one without a problem and keep it less than a 1/8th" hole- the stock ones are about 1/16th but have a little stem in them. Maybe size one up or see what options your dealer or local parts store have in that style. I'd also think that eliminating it may be a bad idea. You've already got a very long way to the radiator which has to dissipate alot of heat to and from the engine so you may never come up to temp. It can make other problems harder to diagnose if your engine isn't running up to temp. Maybe ask Bob- everyone else does! He's probably had that problem before or may know more about it than you and I (and others) put together. It won't hurt to run like that for awhile, but if you're looking at a dd I wouldn't do it for too long.

Motor sounds really nice, Chris.
What are your plans for exiting air behind the radiator. You're not going to cut holes in the sides of those beautiful fenders are you?

Sorry Kent I was wrapped up in temps and missed your questions.

Yeah I heard trickling at the front of the car and thought "oh no....I bought this radiator a year ago...they will never take it back!..."

I left my stock temp sensor hooked up so the ECU should see the temps. The EZ30 is WAY smaller and lighter than the EG33. I'll measure mine today. I like the looks of the EG33, it looks kinda like a mini 928 engine. I might polish the intake someday like the younguns do. I tried to get pics of the mount last night but didn't get any good ones. I'll shoot more today. It's basically an early mount bar with tabs welded to similar to the smallcar mount. At the back the trans hangers are a lot like Ian's.

Yes I need to call Bob on this one, or maybe he will reply. I have a couple of other quick questions anyway and want to see how his Mustang hood intake is going. I think I might get a new t-stat since they are $9 as well.

Emmmm...yeah that IS a problem. Haven't decided exactly. I like Mike's shroud a lot that covers the holes entirely (will insert pic when I find it), but also might consider some other alternatives.

Keep at it man...this is an awesome build. I wish I was that far along.