kimokalihi's 91 SS EJ20 Swap

[beatersubi]

Car is looking good, Kimo. Roof came out nice.
Time to grind down a parts store wrench.
Don't forget to call the Justy buyer.

[kimokalihi]

The justy buyer fell through. Guy wanted to trade me a 93 impreza 5spd with ej22 and wrx seats and wrx wheels but it was rattlecannedflat black with rattlecanned babay blue wheels, cracked windshe3ld and the engine was knocking.

[kimokalihi]

Got my rack broken down and cleaned. Need to buy some sandpaper to sand the scratches off the rack and then it'll go back together.

[cj91legss]

interesting...

[kimokalihi]

I've run into a problem that I need to sort out quick. I have one of the rear hubs off to replace the wheel bearing and I can't get the spindle off the hub. How do I remove it? I put it in my press and stuck a couple 2x4s under the backing plate (still on the hub since I can't get a wrench on the bolts) and wound up bending the backing plate a little and the spindle didn't budge.

I saw a write-up online where someone used a puller to pull it while it was still on the car and they put the bolt in the center of the puller up against the axle stub. Would that work? Is there an easier way I can do it without putting the hub back on?

[Deride]

How much was all the stuff to rebuild your steering rack if you don't mind me asking?

[kimokalihi]

$146 after tax and shipping but that includes some snap rings for the wheel bearings.

[Legacy777]

Yeah I think you're going to need a puller to do the wheel bearings.

[kimokalihi]

I managed to get the spindle off but then the inner bearing race was stuck on the spindle shaft along with the bearing and the seal. I had to drive to a friend's house to use his step dad's bearing puller/seperator.

I would highly recommend never tackling this job. It's turned out to be a major pain in the ass and I couldn't imagine doing all 4 wheels. I got everything apart and replaced the bearings and seals and it's all back together and pressed but the spindle is loose! You can wiggle it side to side and there's a ton of play. I have a 20 ton press and I pressed that spindle in as hard as the press would go and I don't think it's seated all the way down.

[93Leg-c]

Sorry for all that trouble and work you had to go through with your bearings, Kimo. And, you still have more work to do on them. It can be quite discouraging when a lot of time, effort, and funds are put into a project and it doesn't work out.

But, here is a heads-up when installing bearings: care must be taken to install it properly. If pressed in with too much pressure, it can crack the races of the bearings. This happened to me some years ago when I had my bearing replaced by a shop on my '93 Legacy. On the drive home, the races cracked, destroyed the bearings, and froze up the axles. The shop fixed everything at their cost. They said they couldn't figure out what happened but I read a thread somewhere sometime later that the races can crack if too much pressure is used to press in the bearings.

Also, the master mechanic (but not at a Subaru dealership) used a high quality aftermarket bearing in favor of the OEM bearings because the OEM bearing seemed to have a plastic-like outer race. The aftermarket bearing had a metal outer race and he thought it would be more durable. Bearings from this manufacturer are used in extreme-duty, off-road, and race conditions so he thought that was the better route to go. I never investigated why Subaru made their bearings with the plastic-like outer race but there must be a reason.

Since I've never replaced bearings on my Subarus myself (although I've done it on other makes of cars), the above information may be an extreme case. Perhaps others on the Board can post their recommendations based on their personal experience on how to do it the right way.

[kimokalihi]

Mine were all metal. I bought them from a guy who was bought them for his WRX but he said they fit legacy's. Could be the problem although they looked identical to the ones that came out. I think the hub is not seated all the way. I may just go buy another hub and say to hell with replacing bearings.

[evolutionmovement]

That's definitely one of those jobs I'll gladly pay someone else to suffer through and if they screw it up, they have to fix it whereas if I screw it up that's another wasted day I can't do something I enjoy.

[kimokalihi]

Definitely avoid this job if at all possible. Today I went to the junkyard and for $21 I got an entire hub assembly from a 96 outback. Problem is, the axle stub is stuck inside it and I can't get it out. 20 ton press didn't help either. 3lb hammer didn't do a thing. I guess I'm gonna have to take it in to a shop that has a torch and see what they can do.

Anybody know if heating it with a torch will ruin the bearings? The bearings are held together with a plastic bearing housing. Don't know what else to call it but it's a round plastic piece with holes in it for the roller bearings to sit in.

[kimokalihi]

Swapped in a 96 subaru outback hub assembly for $21 and got it back on the road. Sold he justy today as well. So far so good i think i still hear a wheel bearing making noise though. There is a clunk sound that was prerty loud ive heard twice now pulling away from stop signs. That worries me, not sure what it is or where its coming from though.

[asotwavb]

Those headlight came out amazing! I'm going to try that 3M kit. You're car is BEAUTIFUL!

White with black accents
Pre-face lift
Ej20

[Legacy777]

Yeah....I would not want to do wheel bearings.....

[kimokalihi]

Thanks asotwavb. Definitely recommend the 3M kit but you must use tons of water on that 3000 grit wetsand pad or it will disintegrate on you. Even if you do use lots of water it doesn't last long.

I can't stress enough how much it sucked doing that wheel bearing and then ended up just replacing the hub after all that BS. On top of that, it costs a ridiculous amount of money for the bearings and seals. 2 bearings per wheel and on the rear there is 3 seals!

[CFK]

I totally thought I might have driven past your house today, There was a white 91 SS in a similiar looking yard. Was real positive until I seen your location as Tenino. It was on Hwy 9 by Big Lake, maybe it wasn't even an SS. Who knows, I was real lost.

I wanted to take the scenic route from Sumas to Arlington but missed a few turns and ended up on the top of some Volcano LOL

Hopped on the 542 and thought it was all good, guess I was supposed to go west, not east. Quite the adventure. Then there was no Facelifted hoods at Pick-N-Pull, then I cried

[kimokalihi]

Lol i live out in the country and im way far from canada lol. Nobody ever spots me because apparently subaru enthusiasts only like to reside in big cities and only way up north.

[CFK]

The Volcano I spoke of was Baker. I was on HWY 9 on my way to Arlington Pick-N-Pull.

I was far away from my home and Native land. It was HOT, my Igloo would have melted in those conditions EH !!!

[kimokalihi]

Haha! It was pretty warm. I was lovin it.

[kimokalihi]

My power steering rack will not be getting replaced before wcss after all. Grrr. I went to capital industrial and they cant build me custom ps lines because theyre metric and they called all the local hydraulic places and they wont touch them either. Im thinking i may have to buy a wrx pump and remote reservoir just so i can use a premade high pressure teflon ss hose made for the wrx. What a pain in the ass.

[beatersubi]

Did you try Industrial Hydraulics in Tumwater? They're a Parker store and should be able to get metric fittings, if they don't have them in stock. At the very least, they should be able to adapt metric to english and make a corresponding hose.
There's also a really good place in Fife, if the tumwater store can't or won't do it. It's called Western Fluid Components.

[cj91legss]

Also, Williams oil filter made some parallel fuel lines for a friend of mine back in 2005, maybe they'll have some sort of adapter for your power steering lines or point you in the right direction. They have all kinds of stuff, even silicone hose sold by the foot.

[kimokalihi]

I don't remember which places they called up but I think the guy called 4 different places. He wrote down the name and number and maybe even address of the place he said would do it but he said they would just braze the ends to the new lines.

I'm thinking WRX/STI pump with aftermarket high pressure teflon line and then just run a rubber fuel hose for the return side.