legacycentral bbs

When I got my RS-RA block split over the weekend and found that my bearings were perfect! I guess if I have been paying a little closer attention, I would never have gone to the trouble of tearing apart a perfectly good STi built engine. Upon closer inspection of the shavings on the oil pick up strainer, I realized that they were machined bits. The curve on them is just too tight to have been a bearing piece. I am guessing that they are leftover from when STi built the engine, and that the engine wasn't perfectly cleaned before assembly and they have been in the strainer since the day the engine left the factory...

doh!!!

Most people find the same thing when they tear down Soobie motors.

Remember Opie? Search his posts if you don't, he's a fellow FL Subaru enthusiast. He yanked an EJ22T out of a 91 turbo in a JY and he was gonna do a crazy build with it. He tore down the shortblock and I think he sent the block halves and crank and all that off to a machine shop. The guy said he shouldn't have even bothered tearing it down. The whole thing was as good as if it were brand-new.

Subyluvr,
I am guessing you never saw the pictures of the offending metal shavings that were in the oil pan? It looked like somebody had trimmed their fingernails into my oil. I figured better safe than sorry.

And considering I recently helped teardown a V4 STi RA that went straight into a car and spun a rod bearing less than 24 hours later, I wasn't taking any chances. On that one, the bearing halves were as thin as postage stamps.

Regardless of how good they appear from the outside, some of these engines were really beat on since they were STi's. Both of the Ej22T's I have broken open appeared fine. I think there is a difference between a USDM Legacy and an STi motor in how they were driven and handled. I'm not doing anything except putting it back together stock. But since I am going for 350chp on it, I would have probably rebuilt it on principal, just to know it was fresh...

Ah man... But if you're going for power you may as well have a rebuilt from the start and besides, you're Matt Monson, what's one more rebuild... . Glad to hear though that it all checked out, I'm anxious to see what you do with this in the end.

God, the pressure to perform Don't hold your breath on the rebuild. I am going to do it like I make love to my lady, long and slow. I wouldn't expect this engine to be ready to drop into a car until at least next summer, at the earliest.

I've got a 914 in pieces. I am rebuiliding both the tranny and the engine to race specs. And painting the car and redoing all the rubber.

And I get my ported and polished head cores back for my RS on Saturday. I've got to rebuild them after that. And then reassemble that enigne and put that into the car and get it tuned. So, those two projects take priority for the next few months.

At least it was a good suprise.

Yessir,
I have been putting off seeling my other Ej20G just in case I needed a crank.

Oh, that reminds me, the STI crank was signed, in japanese...

with what, an engraver?
so what is this motor going to go in? 914?

Psssh... you make it sound like you're actually busy.

And I'm assuming you took a picture of your signed crankshaft, cause' that's cool as hell.

Yeah,
busy is my life right now. I have been running our shop by myself the last two weeks, which is brutal when there are usally 3 of us on staff.
2 weekends ago, we swapped my motor. Last weekend I installed a Momentum turbo and STi injectors on a WRX. Next weekend is for me. Then my heads are being delivered and it is back to the grind...

And no, this isn't going into a 914. The 914 is getting a suped up Porsche motor. The PCA won't let me race it if I don't have a Porsche powerplant in it.

Next summer, I am going to find a '97 or '98 Legacy GT and put the RS-RA in that. Going to wire the car like a USDM WRX and use things like the modern coil and ignitor on plug ignition. It will get teh vf-29 that I have been sitting on for 2 years. Tuning will be with an ECUtek reflash on teh dyno. 350chp is the goal.

Mmmm, tastey! Snap into a slim jim.

I want to see pics of the signed crankshaft too. That is cool as hell.

That sucks you tore into the 'ol girl when you didn't have to but at least it's better that you did and have peace of mind, then not doing it and waiting for the crank to walk or a spun bearing or something.

hmm. so maybe my ej22T was fine also as well? i also had found shavings in mines. pretty big shavings too.

good luck with the RS-RA motor project. sounds like fun.

Matt Monson wrote:I am going to do it like I make love to my lady, long and slow.

What lady?


just teasing


I want to see that crank too!

The one I gave a ring to last month.

I will see about getting some pictures snapped over the weekend. I get my PnP'd SOHC Ej25 heads for the 2.5RS manana, and I know people on that other board really want to see those as well...

Congrats on the engagement Matt!

now we can all make fun of how your hitched and we're still single and not gettin any!!!

ballitch wrote:now we can all make fun of how your hitched and we're still single and not gettin any!!!

You ain't kiddin

Congrats Matt

What does "soon to be Mrs. Monson" think of your other lovers(a.ka. subarus)?

Congratulation Matt.