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carphappy
hi everyone. several years ago i built myself a jdm ej20k subaru powered 914. unfortunately i did not document my progress. because it already had an aftermarket body kit installed i had no ethical reasons not to install a different motor. i am using a diy megasquirt ecu with the stock cam and crank sensors to control the motor. to say that i learned a thing or two along the way would be an understatement. thanks to everyone who has done a subaru conversion before me. your posts have inspired me and helped in numerous decision making situations. here are a couple of pics.

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Chris H.
Nice! That's a Rayco kit. Love the wheels. Subaru trans?
BIGKAT_83
Looks well done. Lets see some more pictures.

agree.gif agree.gif
carphappy
QUOTE(Chris H. @ Sep 9 2015, 09:11 AM) *

Nice! That's a Rayco kit. Love the wheels. Subaru trans?


yeah, gotta like those ats classic 15x7s, they were on the car when i purchased it. if it were not for those a 5 lug conversion would have happened. i decided to go with the stock 901 transaxle. the biggest expense by far was the kennedy adapter and flywheel. luckily i have a spare 901 if i need it.
carphappy
QUOTE(BIGKAT_83 @ Sep 9 2015, 10:14 AM) *

Looks well done. Lets see some more pictures.

agree.gif agree.gif


thanks, it was and still is a fun project. here is a pic of the interior and a not so good pic of the underside.
Andyrew
Very nice! Looks like you have water injection as well. Lets see your radiator setup!
whitetwinturbo
popcorn[1].gif agree.gif
Chris H.
So are you using that stock temp gauge ? The combo gauge to the left of the tach? Oil temp or water temp?
carphappy
QUOTE(Andyrew @ Sep 9 2015, 11:23 AM) *

Very nice! Looks like you have water injection as well. Lets see your radiator setup!


thanks, no water injection. running a conservative 13-15 lb of boost. stock it is a 250hp motor. right now it is more than fast enough. here is an older picture of my radiator setup. not much has changed except a different overflow tank. it is a cx racing 3 core. i decided to vent out the bottom instead of the wheel wells. cold air comes in through the foglight holes and the additional cutout below the front bumper. i am running two 12" electric fans.
carphappy
QUOTE(Chris H. @ Sep 9 2015, 11:40 AM) *

So are you using that stock temp gauge ? The combo gauge to the left of the tach? Oil temp or water temp?



i am using the stock temp gauge as an oil temp gauge. i installed an electric sending unit in the oil pan and hooked it up to the existing wire. on hot days it moves beyond vertical but it has never reached the red zone. i am thinking that it is relatively accurate. i made the center console, it holds the oil pressure, water temp, boost, and afr gauges.
Andyrew
No water injection? Then what is this? huh.gif
TheBabyBadger
QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 09:55 AM) *

QUOTE(Chris H. @ Sep 9 2015, 11:40 AM) *

So are you using that stock temp gauge ? The combo gauge to the left of the tach? Oil temp or water temp?



i am using the stock temp gauge as an oil temp gauge. i installed an electric sending unit in the oil pan and hooked it up to the existing wire. on hot days it moves beyond vertical but it has never reached the red zone. i am thinking that it is relatively accurate. i made the center console, it holds the oil pressure, water temp, boost, and afr gauges.



Awesome build! Love the set up. Venting through the floor? Wheel wells? Would love to see more pics. I run the same kit on my car.
carphappy
QUOTE(Andyrew @ Sep 9 2015, 01:49 PM) *

No water injection? Then what is this? huh.gif


that little tube runs inside to the manual boost gauge.
carphappy
QUOTE(TheBabyBadger @ Sep 9 2015, 01:56 PM) *

QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 09:55 AM) *

QUOTE(Chris H. @ Sep 9 2015, 11:40 AM) *

So are you using that stock temp gauge ? The combo gauge to the left of the tach? Oil temp or water temp?



i am using the stock temp gauge as an oil temp gauge. i installed an electric sending unit in the oil pan and hooked it up to the existing wire. on hot days it moves beyond vertical but it has never reached the red zone. i am thinking that it is relatively accurate. i made the center console, it holds the oil pressure, water temp, boost, and afr gauges.



Awesome build! Love the set up. Venting through the floor? Wheel wells? Would love to see more pics. I run the same kit on my car.



when deciding where the warm air would go from the radiator i looked at several options, some people have vented out the hood (did not like how that looked), most people cut holes in the wheel wells and add a wire mesh (i think that a fair amount of road debris would end up in the front boot), and some cut a big rectangle in the floor. i ended up cutting a small rectangle and creating an additional vent slat. the rectangle makes it easy to plumb coolant to and from the radiator, and the additional vent hopefully helps with air flow. it doesn't look as bad as it does in the pictures and water temps only occasionally rise high enough to turn the electric fans on.
Chris H.
Would really like to see some more pics of that radiator setup!
TheBabyBadger
QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 11:39 AM) *

QUOTE(TheBabyBadger @ Sep 9 2015, 01:56 PM) *

QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 09:55 AM) *

QUOTE(Chris H. @ Sep 9 2015, 11:40 AM) *

So are you using that stock temp gauge ? The combo gauge to the left of the tach? Oil temp or water temp?



i am using the stock temp gauge as an oil temp gauge. i installed an electric sending unit in the oil pan and hooked it up to the existing wire. on hot days it moves beyond vertical but it has never reached the red zone. i am thinking that it is relatively accurate. i made the center console, it holds the oil pressure, water temp, boost, and afr gauges.



Awesome build! Love the set up. Venting through the floor? Wheel wells? Would love to see more pics. I run the same kit on my car.



when deciding where the warm air would go from the radiator i looked at several options, some people have vented out the hood (did not like how that looked), most people cut holes in the wheel wells and add a wire mesh (i think that a fair amount of road debris would end up in the front boot), and some cut a big rectangle in the floor. i ended up cutting a small rectangle and creating an additional vent slat. the rectangle makes it easy to plumb coolant to and from the radiator, and the additional vent hopefully helps with air flow. it doesn't look as bad as it does in the pictures and water temps only occasionally rise high enough to turn the electric fans on.



I'll have to post some pics of my radiator progress. I'm still debating. I consider the hole in the floor but I just don't know. The wheel wells seems okay, with a tight mesh nothing "should get int, I was going to run the same mesh across the floor, just in case, to drain any type of water, etc.

The vented hood is a little good, but I was going to louvre it so it looked bad ass, or add a C7 style vent in carbon so it looked cooler. So many options!!!

I'll start a new thread and get some pics up soon. Awesome car!
flmont
I wonder what a subie,..scoop would look like on the hood,..either open in front,..or flipped to let the air out

BTW,..how did U run the RAD lines,..??? Thanks Frank
Mike Bellis
You don't need tight mesh. I do not get any road debris in my front trunk.

I had a bottom vent on my last conversion car. It worked well for cooling but there are drawbacks. Air gets under the car, which is the worst place for it. On dirt roads dust will blow out and circulate into the cabin if the windows are down or roof is off. In stop and go traffic hot air will circulate out and into the cabin. The last one may be good if you live in a cold climate. The trunk pan is part of the structure that hold the front suspension on the car.
carphappy
QUOTE(TheBabyBadger @ Sep 9 2015, 05:47 PM) *

QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 11:39 AM) *

QUOTE(TheBabyBadger @ Sep 9 2015, 01:56 PM) *

QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 09:55 AM) *

QUOTE(Chris H. @ Sep 9 2015, 11:40 AM) *

So are you using that stock temp gauge ? The combo gauge to the left of the tach? Oil temp or water temp?



i am using the stock temp gauge as an oil temp gauge. i installed an electric sending unit in the oil pan and hooked it up to the existing wire. on hot days it moves beyond vertical but it has never reached the red zone. i am thinking that it is relatively accurate. i made the center console, it holds the oil pressure, water temp, boost, and afr gauges.



Awesome build! Love the set up. Venting through the floor? Wheel wells? Would love to see more pics. I run the same kit on my car.



when deciding where the warm air would go from the radiator i looked at several options, some people have vented out the hood (did not like how that looked), most people cut holes in the wheel wells and add a wire mesh (i think that a fair amount of road debris would end up in the front boot), and some cut a big rectangle in the floor. i ended up cutting a small rectangle and creating an additional vent slat. the rectangle makes it easy to plumb coolant to and from the radiator, and the additional vent hopefully helps with air flow. it doesn't look as bad as it does in the pictures and water temps only occasionally rise high enough to turn the electric fans on.



I'll have to post some pics of my radiator progress. I'm still debating. I consider the hole in the floor but I just don't know. The wheel wells seems okay, with a tight mesh nothing "should get int, I was going to run the same mesh across the floor, just in case, to drain any type of water, etc.

The vented hood is a little good, but I was going to louvre it so it looked bad ass, or add a C7 style vent in carbon so it looked cooler. So many options!!!

I'll start a new thread and get some pics up soon. Awesome car!


looking forward to seeing what you decide to do
carphappy
QUOTE(flmont @ Sep 9 2015, 08:30 PM) *

I wonder what a subie,..scoop would look like on the hood,..either open in front,..or flipped to let the air out

BTW,..how did U run the RAD lines,..??? Thanks Frank


backwards subaru scoop or maybe a chevy type cowl induction hood. like a bunch of other conversions, i ran metal tubing under the car
carphappy
QUOTE(Mike Bellis @ Sep 9 2015, 08:52 PM) *

You don't need tight mesh. I do not get any road debris in my front trunk.

I had a bottom vent on my last conversion car. It worked well for cooling but there are drawbacks. Air gets under the car, which is the worst place for it. On dirt roads dust will blow out and circulate into the cabin if the windows are down or roof is off. In stop and go traffic hot air will circulate out and into the cabin. The last one may be good if you live in a cold climate. The trunk pan is part of the structure that hold the front suspension on the car.


wish i knew that before i cut the floor. i was concerned about the structure of the front suspension, i added an additional cross member in front of the radiator in hopes of compensating for the metal that i had removed.
carphappy
QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 09:34 PM) *

QUOTE(Mike Bellis @ Sep 9 2015, 08:52 PM) *

You don't need tight mesh. I do not get any road debris in my front trunk.

I had a bottom vent on my last conversion car. It worked well for cooling but there are drawbacks. Air gets under the car, which is the worst place for it. On dirt roads dust will blow out and circulate into the cabin if the windows are down or roof is off. In stop and go traffic hot air will circulate out and into the cabin. The last one may be good if you live in a cold climate. The trunk pan is part of the structure that hold the front suspension on the car.


wish i knew that before i cut the floor. i was concerned about the structure of the front suspension, i added an additional cross member in front of the radiator in hopes of compensating for the metal that i had removed.


this reminds me, one of the most noticeable structural, handling improvements i have made was to add another cross member in the rear of the car, below where the original steel bumper was attached, basically stopping the left and right rear from moving up or down independently. anyone without a rear bumper might want to look into it.
flmont
I wonder,.how much air turbulence,.MAY be created under the hood,.. with the hood scoop/vents in which ever direction,front or back,..I would think,.in at bumper,..out at top of hood towards windshield...??? would be the best flow pattern..
mgp4591
QUOTE(flmont @ Sep 9 2015, 08:21 PM) *

I wonder,.how much air turbulence,.MAY be created under the hood,.. with the hood scoop/vents in which ever direction,front or back,..I would think,.in at bumper,..out at top of hood towards windshield...??? would be the best flow pattern..

That is the best flow pattern- that area in front of the windshield is a low pressure area so it you fill it with air from the front of the vehicle not only does the low pressure pull the air through the ductwork, it also helps stabilize the car at higher speeds. I'm not a fan of the look necessarily but it does work well so make it as pretty as you can... the general math works out that you need twice the outlet area as you have for the inlet area and the straighter the ductwork is, the faster the air moves and which makes it more efficient. I'm still not a fan of the way it looks tho... dry.gif
76-914
QUOTE(carphappy @ Sep 9 2015, 06:34 PM) *

QUOTE(Mike Bellis @ Sep 9 2015, 08:52 PM) *

You don't need tight mesh. I do not get any road debris in my front trunk.

I had a bottom vent on my last conversion car. It worked well for cooling but there are drawbacks. Air gets under the car, which is the worst place for it. On dirt roads dust will blow out and circulate into the cabin if the windows are down or roof is off. In stop and go traffic hot air will circulate out and into the cabin. The last one may be good if you live in a cold climate. The trunk pan is part of the structure that hold the front suspension on the car.


wish i knew that before i cut the floor. i was concerned about the structure of the front suspension, i added an additional cross member in front of the radiator in hopes of compensating for the metal that i had removed.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just weld an 18ga frame around whatever you cut out or weld a louvered panel in after you open it up.

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carphappy
i like what you did, just out of curiosity, any opinions on brake upgrades while sticking with 4 lugs. i went with the vw fox upgrade.
76-914
Brakes? What brakes? Really don't know. I'm running stock rebuilt calipers. The only work they get is when I see RADAR! shades.gif
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