Hi fellow Subaru powered Speedster owners. Is there any interest in making a list of SOC members that own cars powered by a Subaru Engine? If so, message me and I will compile a list for later publication here on SOC. If there is already a list please direct me to it, thanks.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Elitist overtones 
Then, I would want a list of VW powered Speedster owners and, then subdivided by 1600, 1776, 1850 etc, etc, etc. LOL ;-) Any Wankel engines out there? :-0
I am curious to the number of Subaru powered cars and also wanting to make it easier to get technical help. By the way I have owned a wankel engine powered Speedster so I know for sure there is one of them out there.
Elitism has no place in my request! There are many who have spent much more on type 1 and type 4 engines along with some 911 6 bangers that can start in the high 20 thousand dollar plus range for the engine only. Do you have a case of dreaded engine envy ?
I also have a SAS Cabriolet
"I have owned a wankel engine powered Speedster"
HOLY ROTARY, BATMAN!!!!!
Did you bring that to Carlisle? There was a Wankle Speedie there one year. If it wasn't you, then there are TWO of them out there!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to fly Wankel powered RC planes. Such an interesting design and the novelty is off the chart. But a Wankel powered Speedster---wow!
I have a SAS subi mid-engine with automatic transmission, cruise control, A/C and power windows.
I have a CMC with Subaru engine.
Jimmy V. posted:I am curious to the number of Subaru powered cars and also wanting to make it easier to get technical help. By the way I have owned a wankel engine powered Speedster so I know for sure there is one of them out there.
Elitism has no place in my request! There are many who have spent much more on type 1 and type 4 engines along with some 911 6 bangers that can start in the high 20 thousand dollar plus range for the engine only. Do you have a case of dreaded engine envy ?
The smiley face was supposed to be self explanatory
On many forums, they use a pink font to make sure the humorous intent or sarcasm etc is understood
Soob'd MG TD on a '69 Beetle pan. Engine is a 1995 Legacy running the stock ECU and a Honda Civic CRX radiator. DIY jobbie.
"The smiley face was supposed to be self explanatory "
Thanks for clarifying. I am an old fart and have limited skills interpreting the intended meaning of some posts and texts. (smiley face)
Oh, c'mon now, we old farts can figure out a lot of things. Age and experience has to count for something...
Mostly learning humility.
Has anybody used a stock Subaru EJ257 and kept the turbo(s) and the intercooler in their stock location?
IM has done quite a few turbo installs but I think the intercooler must change to an watercooled intercooler.
Henry has done both a stock cooler and my setup "Water to Air intercooled".
http://www.frozenboost.com/air...ercoolers-p-214.html
My setup has a bit more plumbing but is far superior for cooling in an aftermarket application were you may not get enough air flow to reduce the temp on a Air to Air setup. Carey at SE/Beck gave us the lead on the Frozen Boost setup.
Todd, my turbo is in the Stock location. We used most of the stock exhaust too. I deleted the Cat in the up-pipe to the turbo because they are known to fail and I gained 10-15 hp with this setup. https://www.grimmspeed.com/sea...search_query=up+pipe
Most car guys search for ways to boost HP, irrespective of the numbers they start with, or the type of platform involved. Subaru offers a myriad of ways to do just that, but increased power means increased heat production. The stock turbo Subi had a fairly inefficient air to air intercooler, called a topmount, located (not surprisingly) on top of the engine.
Irrespective of the replica maker, real estate for add-on parts is hard to come by, so various mods have been used to cool hign HP Subis with turbos, including front-mount water to air intercooler, with air inlets at the horn grills leading to heat exchangers behind the grills. Some have rear rads, or rads in the front trunk. Lots of engineering involved, as you need two conditions to cool turbo engines sufficiently: sufficient cool air over the rad, and the correct volume of coolant going through the rad. It's an interesting exercise in the compromises that our replicas demand, i.e., none of us are willing to forsake reliability, but many of us want to expand the envelope of what's available for HP output. You can't just install a big turbo and expect drivability. After all, these are street cars and, for many of us, daily drivers as well. A stock Subi has the best of cooling and rad conditions, since the rad is in the front of the vehicle, squarely facing the cooling air. Ideally, you would have high pressure in front of the rad, with a shroud that forces all the air through the rad, and low pressure on the rear side, allowing the heated air to dissipate. Our replicas don't offer that luxury.
All-weather conditions mandate that our engines must operate at air temps from the 20s to above 100F, at least for me personally. I want to be able to throw my duffle bag in the back and take off, no matter what the temp is in the state I'll be driving through or my final destination. Those broad parameters mean that the cooling system needs to be extremely efficient, especially when air temps get around the mid 80's or so.
Part of the disadvantage of having what are basically one-off cars, as far as the automotive industry is concerned, is that the office buildings full of talented engineers haven't done any work on our platforms. There is little data available on air flow, engine placement, cooling system mods, more efficient rads, water pumps, high and low air pressures needed before and after the rad, custom shrouding, and all the rest of the problems associated with an engine that is easy to cool in a stock Subaru engine bay, but problematic in other environments such as ours.
As I have often said, we are the engineers, irrespective of our education, background, or previous mechanical experience. If you come from a basically non-mechanical background, like I do, you learn of problems and potential solutions when things break.
So much has broken in my car that I now know it well. If you are risk adverse, a high HP Subi may not be the platform for you. My last dyno showed 350 HP, 345 lbs. torque. After 5 years of persistence, effort, and money, my car is now how it should have been when I bought it. Be careful what you wish for!
The guy who built my car is untrustworthy. While I have never dealt with IM or SE, I know lots of their customers, who have convinced me that those companies are the kind of people our industry needs: reliable, honest, and talented. My only advice to their customers is to take their advice during your build. They will know what works for their platforms.
Jim it certainly is tough when a metal piece is left within a hose to restrict coolant flow 
Well said Jim. I know when Carey and the guys at special edition converted my Fiberfab Speedster to NA Subaru power they were armed with many years of hard earned experience . The ducting that Carey built for my front mounted radiator blows my mind. If I had converted the car myself I would have had issues with over heating that they have already overcome. The job was totally professional start to finish. I have said it before on this forum, the conversion they did was one of the few times in my life where the outcome exceeded my expectations. Unfortunately we live in a world where the outcome of work contracted for comes out to be far less than we were promised. Bravo Special Edition!
Jimmy V. posted:Well said Jim. I know when Carey and the guys at special edition converted my Fiberfab Speedster to NA Subaru power they were armed with many years of hard earned experience . The ducting that Carey built for my front mounted radiator blows my mind. If I had converted the car myself I would have had issues with over heating that they have already overcome. The job was totally professional start to finish. I have said it before on this forum, the conversion they did was one of the few times in my life where the outcome exceeded my expectations. Unfortunately we live in a world where the outcome of work contracted for comes out to be far less than we were promised. Bravo Special Edition!
Could you post a few pics of that ducting, Jim ? I'm curious about the configuration.
"Could you post a few pics of that ducting, Jim ? I'm curious about the configuration."
ditto
The project I bought has a Subaru engine, but no radiator yet. It would be wonderful to not make a bunch of expensive mistakes. Maybe the best thing to do is to buy the cooling essentials from SE? Or at lease any shrouds and fabricated pieces?
Todd M posted:"Could you post a few pics of that ducting, Jim ? I'm curious about the configuration."
ditto
The project I bought has a Subaru engine, but no radiator yet. It would be wonderful to not make a bunch of expensive mistakes. Maybe the best thing to do is to buy the cooling essentials from SE? Or at lease any shrouds and fabricated pieces?
Todd...perhaps start a new thread so we don't hijack this one and Ed Ericson and I may be able to provide a couple of tips for your cooling system. We both did homebrew Soob installs.
I have a mid engine EJ25 Subie. Radiator is in the rear with interior closeouts and Naca ducts 2 14 inch fans underneath the radiator keep the airflow going . It runs between 190 to 200 degrees. Fans kick in at 200 degrees.
Initially designed with a supercharger ( to 350 hp) but took my head out of my rear and asked "why?" Normally aspirated 200 hp is plenty.
Nice car, thanks for posting it. I agree, my NA suby engine has plenty of power and torque. I still find my head flopping back when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gears and I have tried to keep it from happening. I am sure it looks funny to those watching me drive the car. I was watching the video of Troy's Coup he has for sale and his passenger's head flips back when he shifts also. Yes the Suby cars have hard pulling acceleration.
Are those two filters on the top of you radiator? Please explain.
It also seems that your engine sits very high in the car as compared to other mid-engine cars I have seen, am I wrong?
Very cool car, @Chris Kleber, KitMan Motors! How about a couple of pics of the whole thing?
Great looking car, Chris!!
Reincarnation Magazine did a whole article on it. Great pics.... really good guys. Be sure and subscribe to this magazine relating to custom kit cars.
ReinCarNation Magazine
www,rcnmag.com/garage/wisdom-teeth Article on the Greenie Coupe
The engine sits up higher in the chassis due to the geometry of making the engine cradle to be able to drop down and detach from main chassis. Since the engine is in front of the trans, had to do a reverse gearing from Australian Subi Guys and cable shifting to make it work. Lots of head scratching on how to do this but it worked out.
Chris
Chris Kleber, KitMan Motors posted:Reincarnation Magazine did a whole article on it. Great pics.... really good guys. Be sure and subscribe to this magazine relating to custom kit cars.
ReinCarNation Magazine
www,rcnmag.com/garage/wisdom-teeth Article on the Greenie Coupe
The engine sits up higher in the chassis due to the geometry of making the engine cradle to be able to drop down and detach from main chassis. Since the engine is in front of the trans, had to do a reverse gearing from Australian Subi Guys and cable shifting to make it work. Lots of head scratching on how to do this but it worked out.
Chris
Typo in the web address. I corrected it for you.
www.rcnmag.com/garage/wisdom-teeth
Forget about the fuel cell, the bomber seats, the hidden A/C unit, the mid-engine, the stone gray paint, and all the other stupid-cool details.
Just look at the freaking exhaust outlets!
Dr. Kleber: you sir, are THE MAN!
I love the exhaust on your car, Chris. I also second your recommendation of Reincarnation magazine. It’s high quality, covers a broad area beyond kit cars, and best of all it’s free. Not sure how they do that, but I like it.
Advertising revenue drives most all magazine profits. They must show large numbers of readers to get the higher ad rates. If a publication can get paid subscriptions it is icing on the cake. Many times they never ask for paid subscriptions others due when they have a very large number of subscribers showing a faithful following. Much like facebook, it is free and is advertisement driven.
Nice car, I am still wondering where the Teeth Come into the build
Chris is a retired dentist.
Reincarnation has featured a number of Speedster replica builds.
They did a nice story on my IM6 build a couple of years ago, and they are good people to deal with.
Stan Galat posted:Forget about the fuel cell, the bomber seats, the hidden A/C unit, the mid-engine, the stone gray paint, and all the other stupid-cool details.
Just look at the freaking exhaust outlets!
Dr. Kleber: you sir, are THE MAN!
That is a nice exhaust outlet set up, Stan. Henry and I had considered something similar, but in the end, we decided against it.
But I do love that look.
It looks awesome with those pipes ....
I saw another with the pipes on the side and low I am not sure who did it but it was pretty cool that way. Not sure it was a replica though.
