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Andrew's DiySB Rebuild


What color combo should I paint my block / heads / valve covers?  

37 members have voted

  1. 1. What color combo should I paint my block / heads / valve covers?

    • everything SILVER
    • everything RED
    • sb RED / heads SILVER / vc's SILVER
    • sb RED / heads SILVER / vc's RED
    • sb SILVER / heads RED / vc's SILVER
    • sb SILVER / heads RED / vc's RED


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My Story

 

I received my ticket to rebuild-land when I purchased my LGT in June of 2014. My 24 year old daily driver was (is) dying and I wanted to buy a replacement before it went completely belly-up. I did my research, got my heart set on a 5-speed Legacy GT, bought many-a Carfax reports, and I test drove every LGT that I could find near me. I ended up finding a beautiful, unmodified, unmolested, and well maintained 2005 5mt ltd wagon about 250 miles away. I paid a local-to-the-car Subaru dealership (Dunning Subaru, Ann Arbor, MI) for a full pre-purchase inspection, and then I drove up to buy the car from its second owner. Several months after my happy purchase the motor developed a misfire in cylinder 2. For about a year I scoured the forums and tried everything possible to diagnose the misfire, hoping, nay, praying it was something other than a busted ringland. Long story short: denial is futile, INANSB (I Need A New Shortblock). I borescope’d the cylinder and found a hairline crack in the face of the piston. This video

shows what my pre-rebuild motor usually looks like.

 

If you’re trying to diagnose a misfire give my thread (here) a little peek-see for a few cheap/easy things to try.

 

My wife has agreed to let me spend most of this year’s tax return on fixing the motor, so here I am. I invite you to join me on this exciting journey as I dig deeper into the motor than I ever intended to go. Blood will be lost, tears will be shed, good music will be enjoyed, beers will be consumed, and my Legacy will eventually run like the Porsche it was born to be! My goal is to end up with a like-new motor with a negligible increase in power. Long-term reliability is priority over performance.

 

There are several well documented routes that many LGT owners have taken before me. For the sake of learning I’ll give you my quick take on the main options. I’m not introducing any new information; I’m just summarizing the options so that you can see a glimpse of what each option requires, and the thought process I went through deciding on which route to take.

 

1) YNANSB™ - Buy an assembled shortblock (SB), pull the motor, remove the heads, pay a shop to clean and inspect (and maybe rebuild) the heads, and then reassemble everything onto the new SB and drop it back into the car. This seems like the most popular and realistic option for most people who already know a decent amount about working on cars. Many people reading this probably already have most of the necessary tools. This classic YNANSB route usually costs somewhere in the ballpark of $5-6k. To quote Tris: “This quickly becomes a nickel-and-dime project. After you've already spent $2-3k on your basic bits, another $100-200 becomes trivial when you think about the peace of mind, performance, or safety/reliability it will provide. It sucks, I know, but this is what it takes to do it right. You only want to do this once, right?”

Update 2/27/18: I helped a friend YNANSB (used as a verb) his motor at end of 2017, and I think he spent almost $7k on the entire project. His adventure wasn't as rigorously planned as mine, our checklist was all-but abandoned after the first day, and in my opinion he could have kept his total under $6k with a little more preparedness.

 

2) REBUILD - This is the same as option #1 except you use new parts inside of your existing SB instead of buying a new one. This option doesn’t have any {much) cost advantage over option #1 because you’ll need to get a machine shop involved. Rebuilding your SB may not be a wise decision if your turbo blew up and sent metal into every crack and crevice of your engine. You’ll get waaaaaaay more street cred and fakebook likes by rebuilding your motor (vs replacing it), but it isn’t much (any?) cheaper than just buying a new SB. With this route there are many more details to keep track of, which makes the project more difficult than just buying an assembled SB. Based on my research this option would cost approximately $4,870 + machine shop labor (in 2016 dollars).

 

3) PAY A SHOP - This is the simplest and most costly option. If you’re not absolutely confident in your ability to take everything apart and put it back together correctly, this is for you. There’s no shame in paying someone else to rebuild your motor, and most times it’s probably desirable. You aren’t any less of a car guy (or girl), and you can still have oodles of aftermarket parts installed to show off at the next car meet. And if you really want, you can even get those forged pistons that are sooooooooooooo important (extra “o”s added to emphasize sarcasm).

 

4) DIYSB - Do It Yourself Shortblock - If you’re thinking “Andrew, the rebuild option sounds pretty cool, but I really want to be more involved than that. I want this project to basically control me for at least a month, or two, or three. Is there any way that I can take on 100% of the responsibility for doing it all correctly, on the first try, without going over budget?” Well, my soon-to-be good friend, this is the plan you’re looking for. And that’s exactly why I’m here. This is how I’m going to be rebuilding my motor. Through my self-inflicted pain you’ll be able to see if this is really what you want to do. Carefully following a detailed plan is THE ONLY way this can succeed, and even then success isn’t guaranteed. If even for one second you’re not 100% certain that you can create and follow a well-thought out plan, this is not for you. I’m not the first person to do a DIYSB, but it seems like it’s one of the lesser-documented rebuild options. In most cases this DiySB route is not recommended. Proceed with extreme caution.

 

Disclaimer: Technically I’ve never rebuilt a motor… and by technically, I mean never.

 

“Andrew, are you nuts?” No I’m not, and you just hurt my feelings.

Post-rebuild update on 2/27/18: My buttery-smooth rebuilt motor is evidence to support my claim to partial sanity.

 

I’m not a mechanic, but I’m very mechanical. I’m 32 years old and at this point in my life I can say that I’m pretty comfortable working on modern vehicles. I’ve changed spark plugs, injectors, alternators, starters, a clutch, belts, hoses, diapers, radiators, thermostats, water pumps, brakes, axles, wheel bearings, windows, interior trim, stereos, a security system, and I’m very proud to report that I’m pretty good at hanging the gas cap from my car in a way that it doesn’t touch the paint. I’ve also worked in the Aerospace industry for about 12 years and I’m confident in my ability to correctly use precision measuring equipment. Things like depth gauges, bore gauges, calipers, and ID/OD micrometers. MOST IMPORTANT: I have the experience and knowledge to really (truly, madly, deeply) understand that very small details can cause very large (and expensive) problems that ctrl+Z can’t undo. Sanding the paint off an old kitchen table isn’t the same as decking a head. Not hearing leaks doesn’t mean something is air-tight. Looking flat doesn’t mean it is flat. When you assume, you make an a$$$$$ out of you and me. The extra dollar signs are to remind us, because at this point we’re in this together, that this project has a very good chance of consuming many more dollars than we’d like.

 

With all that mumbo-jumbo out of the way let’s get on with what we all came here for, a rebuild!

 

LegacyGT.com is a huge resource for working on EJ255/257’s, and I wouldn’t be willing or able to attempt this project if it weren’t for all of the helpful people and well-documented build threads. My build thread isn’t the first of its kind; it’s just my way of asking for help, staying organized, and earning my place in the club. Mad street cred here I come!

 

I’m going to organize this thread in a way that I would appreciate reading through it. All of the important stuff will be in the first 10 posts.

Post #2 is my plan and scope.

Post #3 is my budget and eventually the total cost of the project.

Post #4 will be pulling the motor and disassembling everything.

Post #5 will be cleaning and inspecting.

Post #6 will be rebuilding the shortblock.

Post #7 will be rebuilding the heads.

Post #8 will be assembly and adjusting the valves.

Post #9 will be installing the motor back into the car, and first start-up.

Post #10 will be my final thoughts and things I wish I would have done differently.

Edited by StkmltS
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Plan and Scope

 

My plan is to rebuild my ≈110k mile-old EJ255 motor. All work will be performed “DIY” style without the use of a professional machine shop. Some of the things I'll be doing will sound a bit terrifying at first, but hold on to your shorts until you see what's going on. I'm DIY'ing this project to save money, not to cut corners.

 

The motor runs as-is, the block has not failed, bearings have not spun, the turbo is in good shape, and a recent oil analysis shows that the engine is in generally good health. Because of those positive things there are several items I’m choosing to reuse instead of replace, particularly the oil pump and oil cooler. Usually reusing those is a horrible idea, but that's because when a married turbo and motor get divorced the kids (oil things) get left to pick up the pieces (literally). My turbo and motor are still happily married and the kids are okay. For the most part my rebuild can somewhat been treated as a preventive measure.

 

The original SB will be rebuilt using new Subaru pistons (AAAB), Subaru gaskets, and King bearings. The cylinders will be lightly honed with a ball-hone if necessary. The crank, connecting rods, oil pump, and oil cooler will be thoroughly cleaned, inspected, and reused. The OEM oil pickup tube will be replaced with a Moroso pickup. The block surfaces that mate with the heads will be inspected and decked if necessary. The timing belt, tensioner, pulleys, water pump, and accessory belts have recently been replaced, so they’ll all be reused. Difficult-to-reach hoses will be replaced, and easy-to-reach hoses will be reused if they’re in acceptable condition.

 

The heads will be rebuilt using GSC nitride coated stainless steel exhaust valves, GSC stainless-steel intake valves, Subaru gaskets, and ARP head studs. The original cams will be cleaned, inspected, and reused. The valve seats will be lapped to match the new valves, and the existing valve guides will be reused. The head surfaces that mate with the block will be inspected and decked (using sandpaper) if necessary. Valve lash/clearance will be measured after the rebuilt motor is assembled with the timing belt installed, buckets will be swapped as needed, adjustments will be made via Heiche’s budget valve clearance method, and finally new buckets will be purchased if all else fails.

 

The original VF40 turbo will be inspected and reused as-is if at possible. If it’s found to be in less-than satisfactory condition it will be rebuilt by JMP. #BecauseRaceCar says to have it rebuilt regardless of its condition, but my budget says “no!”. Based on my last inspection the turbo is in good shape so rebuilding it is not planned. All turbo fasteners will be replaced because I’m a dad and I said so. I’m also including the bulletproof intercooler mod (BP TMIC) in this project because #BecauseRaceCar has to win sometimes… know what I mean?

 

Included in the final assembly will be the legendary “Hogzaust mod”, a new (used) catless up pipe (UP), a new (used) crank pulley, a generic turbo blanket, a generic 0-150psi oil pressure sender, a Bosch LS 4.9 wideband o2 sensor, and a PLX wideband controller. The UP and down pipe (DP) will be cleaned, painted, and wrapped with generic titanium-ish exhaust wrap. All exhaust gaskets will be replaced with new OEM or equivalent, and exhaust bolts will be replaced as needed with grade-8 bolts from my local hardware store. The UP, turbo, and intercooler will be reinstalled per the “Max Capacity approved method”. Engine monitoring will be done via BtSsm, and gentle tuning will be done by yours truly via ECUflash & RomRaider.

 

If my DiySB project takes a turn for the worst and the Coast Guard finds me up floating upside down in a pool of tears, my backup plan is to take the traditional YNANSB route and just buy a new SB from Subaru. Purchasing pistons, rings, bearings, and a ball-hone after I inspect the block will allow me to avoid the risk of spending a large amount of money on items that won’t get used if I buy a new SB.

 

For initial start-up + 20 minutes I’ll have water in the system instead of coolant so that if/when I find leaks they’re less messy. After that I’ll use non 2-EH, phosphate- and silicate-free, Peak Global coolant (or whatever name they change it to between now and then). My break-in period will consist of I-don’t-care-what-you-say-brand-doesn’t-matter 5w-30 dino oil and Mobil 1 filters that I found on sale. Dino oil changes will be done after: 500 miles, 1k miles, and 1.5k miles (four engines of oil). My safety tune will be based on CovertRussian’s stage-0 safety tune, and it will include disabling the EGT sensor CEL (REV#2). The wastegate duty cycle (WGDC) will be set to 0%, the rev limiter (fuel cut) set at 4,500/4,200 RPM (on/off), I’ll make whatever changes need made to account for the catless UP. and for extra safety I’ll retard the timing by a few degrees across-the-board. At 1.5k miles I’ll move the timing back to where it should be. (REV#1). At the 3k mile mark I’ll turn the boost back up and I’ll switch to synthetic 5w-40 (Rotella T6 for extra street cred) and Purolator filters (PL14612). After the first 3k miles my regular oil-change-interval (OCI) will be dependent on the amount of procrastination in my system at the time, so somewhere between 3-4k miles. After 6-7k miles (3k on synthetic oil) I’ll have an oil sample analyzed and maybe start playing around with the tune.

 

Possibly included in the scope of this project: The turbo may need rebuilt, I may decide to paint the block and heads, and I’m seriously considering (mildly) porting and polishing the heads.

 

Specifically excluded from this project: Appearance mods, suspension mods, things that only help the car go faster, and anything else that #BecauseRaceCar is the only justification.

 

Revision #1 (made pre-disassembly): I decided not to retard the timing in my safety tune.

Revision #2 (made mid-disassembly): The EGT sensor from my stock UP will be relocated to the engine bay, somewhere between the turbo and intercooler. This will allow me to monitor under-hood temperature. My post-rebuild tunes will need to include disabling the EGT sensor CEL. I'm relocating this sensor because the catless UP I bought to replace my catted UP doesn't have a bung for an EGT sensor.

Edited by StkmltS
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Budget, Schedule, and Build-List

 

My budget for this project is $3,918.25

FINAL PROJECT COST = $3,757.61 (updated Dec. 21, 2016)

^^ This is the final (real) total that includes every penny I spent, including having the turbo rebuilt by JMP ^^

 

This is my estimated total cost for the entire project, at the start of the project. It includes all discounted prices and deals I've been able to get.

I locked-in my total estimate when I ‘officially’ started the project on June/20/2016.

Any mid-project changes or additions will come out of my $500 “woopsies” line item that's included in the budget.

 

The potential need to have my turbo rebuilt is the only known-unplanned expense that I know has the potential to majorly screw up my budget.

 

Elephant in the thread… There is a chance (risk) that I’ll make fatal mistakes and my new motor will need re-rebuilt immediately after it’s rebuilt. To minimize that risk (1) I’m replacing a few things that aren’t broken, (2) I’m going to thoroughly clean and intensely inspect everything, (3) I’ve read every build thread that I can find, and (4) I’m documenting the snot out of everything I do (tags/bags/labels/notes/photos/videos). The devil is in the details, and this thread will be my hell. I cannot afford to rebuild the motor twice. Even if I could, my wife has assured me this is my only chance to “make the car work right.” If it blows up I have to sell the car. No pressure.

 

  • My semi-complete shopping list is attached, excluding the tools that I think most people should already have (wrenches, sockets, pliers, a torque wrench, jack stands, etc). I'll update the list as it changes. My spreadsheet that everything came from has links and exact prices of each item, so if you'd like that just shoot me a PM. Worth noting is that I've listed a few engine parts that usually need replaced, but that I'm choosing to clean and reuse (eg. oil pump and cooler). My thinking is that my motor has never had shards of metal pushed through it, so the parts should be reusable. I won't know for certain until after tear-down.

  • The white-board schedule is the result of talking with my wife and agreeing on when I'm able to work on the car.
    DON'T SKIP THIS STEP, your spouse is far more important than a stupid car.

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Edited by StkmltS
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Pulling Motor and Disassembly

Link for removing/installing valve springs.

 

I’m disassembling and removing the motor [almost] verbatim Scruit’s list (his build thread here).

He did an impressive job documenting everything and I’d be a fool to not use the awesome list he put together. Thanks Scruit!

 

My order doesn't perfectly match his, because anything that may require waiting on someone else, will get done first. I'm having a coworker weld the wbo2 bung, and my turbo will get sent to JMP for his magic touch if it doesn't pass inspection.

 

* The attached pdf is my step-by-step plan in Microsoft Project.

* Picture #1 shows my progress at the end of day 1. Everything through DP removal is complete.

* Picture #2 is my turbo sitting in a box... pretty exciting stuff.

* Picture #3 is at the end of day 3. The motor is ready to pull other than the motor mounts and bellhousing bolts.

* Picture #4 is the almost-bare longblock at the end of day on 6/26/16.

* Here's my video showing how I released compression from the valve springs to safely remove my cam-lock tool.

* Achievement unlocked 6-30-13: shortblock status

* RH head, combustion side

* LH head, combustion side

* Shortblock, RH head mating surface

* Shortblock, LH head mating surface

* Shortblock, mating halves

* Crankshaft and rods, not picky, will mate with anything

Microsoft Project - Rebuild (2016-06-19 pre-start).pdf

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Edited by StkmltS
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Cleaning and Inspection

Note to self: Create another inspection sheet to measure alignment of the mains.

Update 2/27/18: ^ Didn't happen

REF: My shim gauges are about 0.0005" thicker than marked. If my 0.005" shim fits, but 0.006" doesn't, I'll write it down as 0.005".

REF: My dial test indicator has a range of ± 0.020". Its accurate up to ± 0.012", then it's off (high or low?) by about 0.001" until the high end of it's travel.

REF: My 24" long straightedge is flat within 0.002" across its entire length. About 18" of each flat side (in the middle) is flat within 0.001"

 

Leak-down results on 6/26/16

Cyl 1, (16%)

Cyl 2, (15%)

Cyl 3, (17%)

Cyl 4, (15%)

 

Valve lash on 6/26/16 prior to disassembly, with timing belt still installed:

Intake

Cyl 1, front (0.008"), rear (0.008")

Cyl 2, front (0.008"), rear (0.007")

Cyl 3, front (0.008"), rear (0.008")

Cyl 4, front (0.008"), rear (0.008")

Exhaust

Cyl 1, front (0.012"), rear (0.014")

Cyl 2, front (0.014"), rear (0.016") < previously adjusted by me

Cyl 3, front (0.013"), rear (0.013")

Cyl 4, front (0.013"), rear (0.013")

 

Notes from my visual inspection of the longblock on 6/26/16

The exhaust ports for cyl 2 are significantly cleaner than all of the others.

The exhaust ports for cyl 3 are noticeably cleaner than the ports for cyl 1 and 4, but not nearly as clean as the ports for cyl 2.

One (not both) of the exhaust valves for cyl 2 has a small build-up of "cruddy stuff" where the valve stem enters the valve guide.

 

Inspecting the turbo (6/25/16):

End play (forward-aft movement), (+/-0.001)

Side-to-side movement, hot (turbine) side, (+/-0.006")

Side-to-side movement, cold (compressor) side, (+/-0.007")

Neither wheel moves enough to touch the inside diameter of the housing, and there is no scratching.

 

Inspecting the valves

More pics are on page 17, post 250.

The intake valves look to be in good shape. The only thing worth noting is the cyl 1 valves are a little cleaner than the rest, and not quite as dark.

The exhaust valves look like a burnt rainbow: black, gray, brown, and red. The level of dirtiness varies, but the cyl 2 valves have the least carbon build-up.

 

Inspecting the pistons

Upon tear-down nothing was/is obviously wrong with any of the pistons.

FPI (using level 4 penetrant by a certified level 2 NTD inspector) discovered zero cracks in all four pistons. #RinglandFailure

With 100% confidence I would reuse all four of these... If I hadn't dented the top edge of #2 by accidentally dropping it on my washing machine.:mad:

Pics of the dirty pistons are on page 15, post 219.

Pics of the clean pistons are on page 16, post 229.

 

Inspecting the heads

Both heads are flat better than 0.0015".

The exhaust valves leak water, pretty obviously. It's probably a combination of dirty valves and seats.

The intake valves also leak water, but not nearly as quickly as the exhaust valves.

 

Inspecting the shortblock

Both SB/head surfaces are flat better than 0.0015".

The original cross-hatching inside the cylinder bores still looks good. Scoring is very light and not deep enough to catch a fingernail on.

 

Pistons

1 - 3.9171, 3.9176, 3.9180, 3.9180

2 - 3.9173, 3.9171, 3.9176, 3.9178

3 - 3.9172, 3.9177, 3.9179, 3.9179

4 - 3.9171, 3.9174, 3.9177, 3.9175

 

Turbocharger Diagnosis & Repair, Copyright AA1Car.com

- Up/down/left/right (radial) movement should measure 0.003"-0.006" or less.

- End play (axial) movement should measure 0.001" to 0.003" or less.

Inspection - Block.pdf

Inspection - Cylinders.pdf

Inspection - Crankshaft.pdf

Inspection - Heads.pdf

Inspection - Camshafts.pdf

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Edited by StkmltS
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Rebuilding the Shortblock

Helpful hint: Mark each fastener with a paint pen after torque.

 

The first photo show the cylinder bores post-honing, and the not-yet-decked case surface that mates with the heads.

Overall I'm happy with the Flex-Hone tool and I think the new cross hatching looks great. At 440 rpm (the lowest speed on my Ryobi drill) it only took about 15-20 seconds inside each cylinder.

If I had to do it again I'd put a round piece of hard plastic inside the bottom of the cylinders to keep the ball hone from catching on the rails.

 

The next photo shows the decked (sanded) case/head mating surfaced. I was sloppy taking out one of the straight pins and made a few deeper-than-shallow gouges in the block. Silly mistake. To fill in the gouges I used (please hold your laughter until the end) "JB Weld High Heat Weld Epoxy Putty". It's fully machinable after curing for 8 hours, has a tensile strength of 800 psi, and can withstand continuous heat at 450 deg F. I'm happy with how the repair looks and I'm not concerned about the gouges now that they're filled. I may have been fine leaving them as-is, but it's comforting knowing they're filled with something designed for this.

 

Using plastigage these are my measured clearances for the mains with new std size bearings:

Main 1 - 0.0015"

Main 2 - 0.0015"

Main 3 - > 0.001 but < 0.0015"

Main 4 - 0.0015"

Main 5 - 0.001"

 

The FSM specifies 0.0004" to 0.0012" clearance. From what I've read, using 5w-40 (vs the factory recommended 5w-30) means that my slightly larger clearances are acceptable.

 

Rod oil clearances (measured using plastigage:

R1 - 0.0015" (0.006" side)

R2 - 0.0015" (0.006" side)

R3 - 0.0015" (0.006" side)

R4 - between 0.0015" and 0.002" (0.008" side)

 

The FSM specifies the oil clearance to be 0.0007" to 0.0018", and the side clearance to be 0.0028" to 0.0130". Lucky me, only one set of bearings for the mains and rods.

 

Piston Rings:

I decided to use NPR rings (SWF20068ZZ) instead of OEM because of the significant price difference.

The NPR rings are (apparently) pre-gapped and are as identical to each other as I can measure. Because my cylinder diameters are so close to being the same size it doesn't matter which ring goes into which cylinder. If you're rebuilding your motor DON'T read my rebuild notes and walk away assuming any ring can go into any cylinder in your motor. Usually it's not that convenient. If you use rings that need gapped (filed or ground) you MUST keep track of which ring goes into which cylinder.

 

Measured end gap:

Top ring - 0.0125"

Second ring - 0.0170"

Oil rings - 0.0125"

 

FSM specified end gap for '05 LGTs:

Top ring - 0.0079" to 0.0098"

Second ring - 0.015 to 0.020"

Oil rings - 0.0079 to 0.0197"

 

FSM specified end gap for '05 STI's:

Top ring - 0.0079" to 0.0098" - 0.039" max limit

Second ring - 0.015 to 0.020" - 0.039" max limit

Oil rings - 0.0079 to 0.0197" - 0.059" max limit

 

Does anyone have any ideas about why the STI service manual specifies a max limit for end gap, but the LGT manual doesn't?

 

I'm going to use these NPR rings even though the end gap is outside of the LGT FSM's standard range. Why? I'm glad you asked.

 

  • My measured end gap is what it should be per NPR's recommendation.
  • The STI fsm says my measured end gap is acceptable.
  • Everyone knows the LGT is a better version of the STI:cool:
  • If my gap is ok in an STI, it should be totally fine in my LGT.

 

Painting the block

I used one can of silver Rust-Oleum 500° engine enamel.

I spent a few (3?) hours washing, sanding, and masking off the non-painted areas.

It was a ton of work but it looks great and I'd definitely do it again.

 

Shortblock Assembly

(pic) The rods are torqued onto the crank at 38.4 bls/ft.

That's balls per foot in case you're wondering.

 

(pic) The photo of the case half is to show that the bearings are lubed, the o-rings are in, and to see where/how much ultra grey is between the halves.

(pic) The next photo of the halves assembled = premature happy feelings in my tummy.

 

My crank has "AAAAA" and some other numbers stamped on it. It seems like it makes sense that the A's on the crank indicate that the main journals are standard size (mine are). This assumption works with our other assumption that the stamped 2's on the block indicate that the main bores are standard size. "AAAAA" on the crank goes with "22222" on the block.

 

Thoughts about bearings: The thrust bearing (in position #5) from my standard size set of King bearings DOES NOT have a tang. After a quick panic attack and some googling, it appears to be a general trend across the auto industry to not put tang slots in new(er) blocks. Eliminating that step from the manufacturing reduces cost and makes the motor slightly simpler. My set of bearings presumably fits in other motors without tang slots, so King doesn't put the tang in the thrust bearings. Why all of the other bearings DO have tangs is anyone's guess. From my research there are no negative consequences of putting tang-less bearings in a block that has tang slots.

 

(pic) Installing the rings is fairly simple and straightforward.

Per ME (H4DOTC)-69:

Top rings gaps are at position "A".

Second ring gaps are at position "B", 180° from "A".

Top oil ring spin stoppers are snapped into the side holes at position "C", 25° CW from "A".

Oil expander gaps are at position "F", approximately 25° CW from "B", and the ends are NOT overlapped.

Bottom oil ring gaps are at position "G", approximately 35° CCW from "B".

 

HORROR!

(pic) My biggest mistake yet. If it hurts to look at the picture try to imagine how much it hurt to see it in person. Then imagine you're the reason why the nasty gauge is there. Multiply that by $1800 (the cost of a new SB) and you get a powerful headache really quickly. I highly recommend skipping this "trash your cylinder" step if possible.

HOW IT HAPPENED

(pic) One of the oil rings came out of position before/during'/after I compressed the rings, and the out-of-slot ring made a deep scratch in the cylinder wall all the way down until I saw the marks and threw up in my mouth. It took effort to get the piston down that far, but not enough that I thought something was wrong. There's no doubt in my mind; this simple mistake happened because of my inexperience. I thought I was being super careful and going slow enough, but obviously I wasn't.

HOW TO NOT REPEAT MY MISTAKE

1) When you put on the ring compressor make sure that all of your ring end gaps are contained by the compressor and aren't in the small area not contacting the compressor (compressor gap?). Also, once the compressor is squeezing the rings don't rotate the compressor. I don't know if that's what happened in my case (pun intended) but based on the evidence it seems like the most likely suspect.

2) When you're pushing the pistons into the cylinders it should be easy. Like, it doesn't hurt [very much] to punch a piston hard enough to push it deeper inside the cylinder.

 

Hello? Yes, this is Andrew. Oh, ok. Kthanks bye. That was a voice in my head calling to dare me to try to fix the cylinder before I buy a new SB. It was a double-dare and she sounded pretty on the phone... so here goes nothing.

 

  • Remove case bolts again
  • separate case halves again
  • Remove o-rings again
  • Remove crank assembly again
  • Remove main bearings again
  • Scrape off liquid gasket again
  • Hone the living daylights out of cylinder 4.

 

Despite having no faith that my block was (DIY) salvageable, it appears to have actually worked. I won't know for certain until the motor fires up. About 1/2" of one of the scratches can sorta-yeah-maybe-kinda be felt with a finger nail.

 

  • Wash case halves in the bathtub again
  • Scrub bathtub until aluminum sludge is gone again
  • Dry the case halves again
  • Apply liquid gasket again
  • "Install" o-rings again
  • Install main bearings again
  • Lube bearings again
  • Drop-in the crank assembly again
  • Attach case halves again
  • Install case bolts again
  • Lightly oil cylinders again.

 

Here are the consequences that I expect to see because of my excessively honed (oversized) "F" cylinder:

Leak-down : 2-4% more than the others.

Compression : 2-4% less than the others.

Noise : slight piston slap on cold mornings, maybe even on every cold start.

Oil consumption : 0.5-1 qt per 3k miles (but no noticeable smoke).

 

(pics) Instead of using three new pistons (AAAB) I'm using three new A's, and one used A in cylinder "F". I don't know how many miles are on the used piston, but it cleaned up very easily (brake clean + wire brush) and the skirt coatings are still in excellent condition. Even the carbon build-up down inside the front dot came out. The pics show new (left) vs. used (right). I verified that the used piston weighs the same as the new pistons and that it has the same dish as the new pistons. I checked the new end gap for this cylinder and wrote it down somewhere secret. Even secret from me. I'll update this post with the new end gap when I find out where I wrote it down.

 

(pics) Finally, all four pistons are installed and the SB is assembled without any more hiccups / vomit.

 

(pic) The rear main seal is evenly flush with the OD (outside diameter) in the case.

All three access hole plugs have new gaskets and ultra grey, and are tq'd to 50.6 ft/lbs. The rear cover plate screws are tq'd at 4.7 ft/lbs (56.4 in/lbs). The small cover has a new o-ring, and the baffle plate has ultra grey. The screws holding on the large baffle plate can be a real PITA to get out. I had to ez-out two of them, so I replaced all six with new M6-1.0 x 14mm screws for good measure (from Home Depot).

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Rebuilding the Heads

Note to self: Mark each fastener with a paint pen after torque.

 

The first pic of the heads is showing before (left) and after (right) the first round of decking. I tried to make the first round be the last round, but experienced people pointed out the foolishness of my thinking and I sanded the heads again. That's a good example of the benefits that can come from posting your rebuild online for the whole world to see. The next pic of the heads is after they're finished and the fire rings are completely gone. I removed about 0.007" from each head, well within the 0.012" limit specified in the service manual. Increased compression Yo! Total time spent was about 3 hours.

 

I used 320 grit sandpaper and a flat slab of granite. The granite started out as a sink cutout from someone's kitchen counter. It became my "surface plate" after I confirmed it was flat enough by measuring it's flatness on a calibrated surface plate at work. Round one was done by moving the heads back-and-forth on top of the sandpaper. For round two I kept the heads stationary and had the granite/sandpaper on top of the heads (the easier way to do it.) One of the heads still has a coolant hard line attached to it, and that sucker doesn't want to budge. Apparently it's not something Subaru sells by itself and if you break it you have to buy a whole new head. Alllllllrighty then, you can stay. The silly tube limited the direction that I could sand but that wasn't a big deal during round 2.

 

I matched old valves with new valves based on their overall heights.

The new intake valves are all about 0.001" shorter than the old valves, and the new exhaust valves are all about 0.013" shorter than the old ones. Most likely that's because of the carbon build-up on the faces of the old valves making them appear taller.

 

The next few photos show my "mild polishing" inside the heads. Overkill is underrated, and I'm considering going back in and cleaning them up a little more. I've decided against porting the heads, so whatever I do to the heads now is all they'll get. Jump forward ---- I didn't go back in for more.

 

Lapping in the valves was somewhat of a fun experience. In the photo you can see the blue dykem is gone from the lapped surface. Be very careful to not get any lapping compound on the valve stems and into the valve guides. Have paper towels handy. Lots, and lots, and lots of paper towels. The purpose of lapping valves is to create a near-perfect mating surface between each valve and its seat so that the valve seals well. That's how and why motors run well. After you lap each valve/seat be sure to mark everything so that you can put the valves back into their correct spots (the same seat that each valve was lapped it in).

 

I painted the heads and valve covers red (obviously) with Rust-Oleum 500° high-temp engine enamel. When it comes to painting, preparation is your only friend. Clean the item to be painted, clean it again, clean it once more, and then mask off everything that you don't want painted. Ear plugs work well for blocking off small holes.

 

I thoroughly washed the heads before installing the valves. The first valve took about 30 minutes to get in because the silly little valve keepers are hard to control. After the first couple valves I got a good handle on how to do it, and the remaining valves only took about 1-3 minutes each.

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Final Assembly and Adjusting the Valves

Note to self: Mark each fastener with a paint pen after torque.

 

(pics) Moroso oil pickup tube. One o-ring from the master gasket set goes between the pickup and block.

 

(pic) The shortblock is now a longblock. ARP head studs are awesome. The ease of torquing them down was well worth double the price of OEM head bolts. I did re-install the four straight pins back into the block before putting the heads on.

For reference: when the key in the crank snout is straight up, all pistons are mid-cylinder. When the key is at 90°, pistons #1 and #2 are at TDC.

 

After installing the buckets and torquing down the cams I found out my new valve lash sucks. Let the games begin.

Valve lash on 8/27/16 post-rebuild (all valves are new) without the timing belt installed, no re-arranging or grinding (yet):

Intake

Cyl 1, 11-front (0.0015"), 12-rear (0")

Cyl 2, 21-front (0"), 22-rear (0")

Cyl 3, 31-front (0"), 32-rear (0")

Cyl 4, 41-front (0"), 32-rear (0")

Exhaust

Cyl 1, 13-front (0.014"), 14-rear (0.004")

Cyl 2, 23-front (0.0155"), 24-rear (0.0155")

Cyl 3, 33-front (0.010"), 34-rear (0.012")

Cyl 4, 43-front (0.012"), 44-rear (0.011")

 

(pic) While dragging my feet over the valve clearance obstacle I put a few more pieces on the longblock. The coolant crossover tube is red to match the heads, and the dip stick tube and black coolant lines got a fresh coat of paint. The OCV lines (not in photo) are a silver/raw metal color from the factory, but I thought they'd look better if I painted them silver... so I did.

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Installing the Motor Back Into the Car, and First Start-Up

Helpful hint: Mark each fastener with a paint pen after torque.

 

Basically the motor goes back in exactly in the opposite order that it came out.

Getting the bell-housing to fit under the turbo is tricky even with the turbo loose.

 

Pay attention to the O2 sensor in the exhaust manifold and make sure it doesn't hit the frame on the passenger side, or better yet, just install it after the motor is in.

 

I posted a video of the first start to youtube, but I'll have to get the link at home because youtube is blocked at work. Lame.

** 2 years later and I still haven't added the link **

** 3 years later (2019) and I still haven't added the link **

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My Final Thoughts, and Things I Wish I Would Have Done Differently

 

"20160920_1718 Break-in" LV is with about 100 miles on the motor. I've been putting some light load on the motor at a wide range of RPM (high gear + low speed), so at this point I'm not concerned about the -1.4 of correction in the far right column.

 

 

The rebuilt motor rolled over the 10,000 mile mark on August 6, 2017.

Am I totally out of the proverbial woods?

Having been able to put put this many miles on the motor without any significant issues really makes me feel good.

Thanks again to everyone here on the forum who helped make my DIY rebuild a success!

 

15,000 miles and all is well.

The exhaust wrap on the manifold has started to fray, and during my most recent oil change I had to add a few more stainless zip-ties to hold the wrap where it had decided to separate from itself. Not a big deal, nor a big surprise.

The paint on my heads has starting to peel, and rust is starting to show through the painted oil pan. Kinda disappointing because I spent so much time prepping everything so it would stay perfect foreeeeeever. The paint on my TB cover has held up very well, and that's been painted since before the rebuild.

The oil leak... in the pic you can see the slightly oily cross-member. If/when it needs a new clutch I'll correct the (presumed) leaking main seal. It's too minor of a leak right now for me to be bothered with that much effort. Sure I don't like it leaking, but it's only hurting my driveway. True oil consumption is difficult to measure because I don't know how much is being consumed by the engine, vs. the driveway. Either way it's been using about a quart every 3k.

My rear struts are starting to feel tired, but that's another story for another thread I guess.

 

2019 update:

The motor is still running as it should, although I've had to deal with a few small maintenance issues here and there. For the past few months (Summer of '19) there's been a coolant leak coming from somewhere near the turbo. Replacing the exhaust manifold and up pipe seems to have aggravated the leak and it'll need dealt with before winter.

EXHAUST WRAP SUCKS.

My manifold and up pipe developed severe leaks in several places caused by rust. Pics of the new SS header coming soon.

My downpipe is also wrapped but it still feels solid, maybe because the DP doesn't see much water from the road.

June 2023 update: 30k miles on the motor and it's still running as it should... other than the everlasting misfire.

This thread is still missing some info here-and-there that I'll eventually get around to adding.

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Nice layout, with all of the future posts organized :) This sort of ocd is great for engine builds ;) Subscribed!
BtSsm - Android app/Bluetooth adapter. LV, logging, gauges and more. For 05-14 Legacy (GT, 2.5, 3.0, 3.6), 02-14 WRX, 04-14 STi, 04-14 FXT, 05-09 OBXT
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Subscribed.

 

This was exactly how I was thinking when I started mine last year. I think it worked out quite well in the end. I'll update my thread with SB build data shortly.

 

I bailed on the bottle brush hone idea and let my my local machine shop do it once I realized how important a good hone is for the fits you need to hit. The factory hone goes, like, 150K miles and with a little luck, might go further. Not sure a bottle brush could do this.

 

Plus, you will want to deck the block which means a machinist will be involved at some point anyway. The cost of a good hone by an experienced operator may be negligible once they get the block in the shop for decking.

 

When you get things torn down, measure everything before you finalize your plans. Preferably before you buy anything.

 

Your bore gauge and mics will get a good workout on this project, for sure!

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Plus, you will want to deck the block which means a machinist will be involved at some point anyway. The cost of a good hone by an experienced operator may be negligible once they get the block in the shop for decking.

 

When you get things torn down, measure everything before you finalize your plans. Preferably before you buy anything.

 

Your bore gauge and mics will get a good workout on this project, for sure!

Not to mention the fact that about one in four or five EJ engines that are torn apart will not turn when you just bolt the parts back up again. People don't realize how easily the block halves get warped enough that the main bearing bores go out of alignment to the point where the crank won't turn even all the original bearings were reused. :eek::mad: So yeah, make sure there's budget for the job of sorting that kind of mess out, and note there are no bearing shells available with larger OD than stock.

Obligatory '[URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2008-gh8-238668.html?t=238668"]build thread[/URL]' Increased capacity to 2.7 liters, still turbo, but no longer need spark plugs.
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Plus, you will want to deck the block which means a machinist will be involved at some point anyway. The cost of a good hone by an experienced operator may be negligible once they get the block in the shop for decking.

 

When you get things torn down, measure everything before you finalize your plans. Preferably before you buy anything.

 

Usually yes, but I won't be using a machine shop. If I get to a point where I'm in too deep and I need help from a professional shop, my project cost would increase to the point where it becomes cheaper to buy an assembled SB from Subaru.

 

My plan is to buy pistons, rings, bearings, and a honing tool after the SB is disassembled, inspected, and deemed rework-able.

 

Not to mention the fact that about one in four or five EJ engines that are torn apart will not turn when you just bolt the parts back up again. People don't realize how easily the block halves get warped enough that the main bearing bores go out of alignment to the point where the crank won't turn even all the original bearings were reused. :eek::mad: So yeah, make sure there's budget for the job of sorting that kind of mess out, and note there are no bearing shells available with larger OD than stock.

So you're saying that 1-in-X engines have blocks that are warped enough that simply separating the halves is all it takes to get the crank main bores permanently out of alignment? If they check out of alignment that would be a situation where I'd choose to buy a new SB.

Edited by StkmltS
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That's exactly what I'm saying.

 

 

Sent from a device using some software.

Obligatory '[URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2008-gh8-238668.html?t=238668"]build thread[/URL]' Increased capacity to 2.7 liters, still turbo, but no longer need spark plugs.
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Please keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times!

 

I added my inspection sheets to post #5.

 

Wow, you are going to be busy. You also might go a little bit crazy with all those measurements. A lot of them are hard to do even once at the tolerance level we are talking about. I found repeatability to be a major issue as the mic heated up or the bore guage found some speck of something. Do you have a clean room with temp control at your disposal? Sounds like you might.

 

For the crank I did each journal perp and parallel to the oil port. A little random checking for taper and that was it. I found enough out of round to cause me concern already; I wasn't looking for more bad news. I did re-use the crank at larger than spec oil clearance, though. I also spent a LOT of time fitting bearings.

 

You may want to reconsider your unwillingness to engage a machine shop. There are some basic things they do very well that are difficult to home-brew yourself. You could have a perfectly good block there that will go a long way, but you need a proper hone to achieve this, in my opinion. Not decking the block seems a risky move. You will have trouble getting flatness measurements until the top is cleaned up anyway.

 

I just added up the machine shop bill on my build. About $225 to put the case through a wash cycle, deck, hone 4 cylinders and polish the crank. The latter was probably not necessary, in retrospect, and added $75 to the bill. That is in $CDN.

More like $180 in greenbacks.

 

If you have serious alignment/oval problems in the mainline, then the case is pretty much toast anyway. That is the first thing to check.

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Wow, you are going to be busy. You also might go a little bit crazy with all those measurements. A lot of them are hard to do even once at the tolerance level we are talking about. I found repeatability to be a major issue as the mic heated up or the bore guage found some speck of something. Do you have a clean room with temp control at your disposal? Sounds like you might.

 

 

 

For the crank I did each journal perp and parallel to the oil port. A little random checking for taper and that was it. I found enough out of round to cause me concern already; I wasn't looking for more bad news. I did re-use the crank at larger than spec oil clearance, though. I also spent a LOT of time fitting bearings.

 

 

 

You may want to reconsider your unwillingness to engage a machine shop. There are some basic things they do very well that are difficult to home-brew yourself. You could have a perfectly good block there that will go a long way, but you need a proper hone to achieve this, in my opinion. Not decking the block seems a risky move. You will have trouble getting flatness measurements until the top is cleaned up anyway.

 

 

 

I just added up the machine shop bill on my build. About $225 to put the case through a wash cycle, deck, hone 4 cylinders and polish the crank. The latter was probably not necessary, in retrospect, and added $75 to the bill. That is in $CDN.

 

More like $180 in greenbacks.

Agree with all of the above. There's a reason an engine clean room is air conditioned continuously below lowest ambient temp night or day. Consistent measurement. No way can you accurately determine how round or parallel the cylinders are if temps on parts or mics are bouncing up and down. Cutting metal is easy. Measuring is hard.

 

 

 

If you have serious alignment/oval problems in the mainline, then the case is pretty much toast anyway. That is the first thing to check.

 

 

Define serious. It's tough if things are tweaked because no shells are available with larger than stock OD, so you can't just bolt the block together and line bore. My own block was rescued by skimming the mating halves a small amount and then boring again to stock bearing diameter to get things round again and all line up in spec. Then countless hours and packs of Plastgage were spent switching out stock-sized ACL shells until we got the clearances we wanted. If it's too far out you have to remove so much metal you have nothing left to clean up the deck to seal the heads and keep a reasonable compression ratio with gaskets of reasonable or available thickness. This was done only because changing the engine numbers on our registration documents is impossible without confirmation from the **** importer that it's an original spec motor and those ****$ won't provide that unle$$ the ****$ $ourced and In$talled it their **** $elve$. Given the choice I'd have just bought a new shortblock.

 

 

Sent from a device using some software.

Obligatory '[URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2008-gh8-238668.html?t=238668"]build thread[/URL]' Increased capacity to 2.7 liters, still turbo, but no longer need spark plugs.
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Thanks to you guys for bringing up your concern about the mains being out of alignment. That's not something I had very high on my priority list until now. I added a note to pay close attention to it when the time comes.

 

Doing everything myself is very risky, so I'm intentionally measuring everything more than necessary as an attempt to compensate for my lack of experience. On big projects like this I tend to get carried away and move quicker than I should, so I'm putting up barriers to slow myself down. Measuring everything 100 times and religiously documenting the entire process is how I'll keep myself from rushing and trying to get more done in one sitting than my [lack of] experience will allow. Once I get elbow-deep into the project I'm sure I'll get frustrated by having to slow down to take notes and pictures, but that's the idea. We all have our limitations, and I'm very fortunate to know what a few of mine are before this project starts.

 

When I'm ready to inspect everything I'm going to carry all of the pieces downstairs into my basement and let them sit for a day or two, and then I'll take all of my measurements. It's not quite the 68° Subaru recommends, but it's dry and cool, and the temperature doesn't fluctuate as much as it does in my non-insulated garage. I could build a temporary "clean room" using 2x4s and plastic drop cloths, but that may be more work than it is effective.

 

I will absolutely be decking the block and heads if they're out of spec per the FSM. I'm expecting to at least need to do the heads in order to remove the rings/indentations from the gaskets. Other than that I'm hoping for smooth sailing. The engine doesn't leak any coolant, and as far as I'm aware its never been overheated.

 

To deck/resurface the heads and block I'll be using sandpaper spray-glued to a piece of glass, on top of a thick sheet of MDF. WD-40 will be used for lubricant.

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Agree with all of the above. There's a reason an engine clean room is air conditioned continuously below lowest ambient temp night or day. Consistent measurement. No way can you accurately determine how round or parallel the cylinders are if temps on parts or mics are bouncing up and down. Cutting metal is easy. Measuring is hard.

 

 

 

Define serious. It's tough if things are tweaked because no shells are available with larger than stock OD, so you can't just bolt the block together and line bore. My own block was rescued by skimming the mating halves a small amount and then boring again to stock bearing diameter to get things round again and all line up in spec. Then countless hours and packs of Plastgage were spent switching out stock-sized ACL shells until we got the clearances we wanted. If it's too far out you have to remove so much metal you have nothing left to clean up the deck to seal the heads and keep a reasonable compression ratio with gaskets of reasonable or available thickness. This was done only because changing the engine numbers on our registration documents is impossible without confirmation from the **** importer that it's an original spec motor and those ****$ won't provide that unle$$ the ****$ $ourced and In$talled it their **** $elve$. Given the choice I'd have just bought a new shortblock.

 

 

Sent from a device using some software.

 

It might be best to hear back from StkmltS about what he finds, then we can chime in about whether there is a serious problem or not. FWIW, I expect you (Andrew) will find a fairly straight mainline, but quite oval bores. Especially #2 and 4, the skinny ones. The oval may make it look like the mainline is out. Check for straightness along the parting line where the pounding is minimized. Measure oval on all bores with the case torqued together and see if you can account for the gaps in the saddles by oval measurements. Anyway, that's what I'd do it. It is really all a bit of a muddle since whenever the case is split, everything changes compared to when it is torqued.

 

This is the main reason I gave up on plastigage after a couple of sessions and brought in a bore gauge. Saved me countless bolt-torque-unbolt cycles. There are still plenty of mysteries lurking however, even with fancy tools.

 

I had an interesting chat with a fellow at Outfront a few weeks ago, on the grounds that I have a case here I may want to put back in to service. Their approach is to NOT cut the cases at the parting line, rather to bore the mainline straight, round and slightly oversize. If I understood correctly, they can source shells with thicker backs that take up the gap (King?). That way, the centre stays on centre, and the rear main seal bore doesn't go oval. Sounded like a heck of a good idea to me.

 

But all this is drifting far from the playbook outlined in the first post.

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I've heard bad things about King bearings, which would have put us off that track. Good info otherwise.

 

 

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Obligatory '[URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2008-gh8-238668.html?t=238668"]build thread[/URL]' Increased capacity to 2.7 liters, still turbo, but no longer need spark plugs.
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When I'm ready to inspect everything I'm going to carry all of the pieces downstairs into my basement and let them sit for a day or two, and then I'll take all of my measurements. It's not quite the 68° Subaru recommends, but it's dry and cool, and the temperature doesn't fluctuate as much as it does in my non-insulated garage. I could build a temporary "clean room" using 2x4s and plastic drop cloths, but that may be more work than it is effective.

 

 

No need to get too crazy with this. Find a place with good light and stable temps near the target. Avoid large woodworking projects in the same space while all this is going on. ;) Wear gloves while handling mics and setting the bore guage. If you can get repeatable measurements, then you are probably getting accurate measurements and can trust them. If you can't, you may have to up your technique, but all in good time.

 

The process is quite fascinating, and rewarding when you get it all working. Unless you have to make your living doing it.

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I've heard bad things about King bearings, which would have put us off that track. Good info otherwise.

 

 

Sent from a device using some software.

 

The bearings my machine shop first sourced for me were King. They were awful. Tabs poorly formed. Shell sat funny in the bore and oil holes didn't line up. Tossed those. I went ACL for everything and they seemed high quality and mic'd perfectly to spec. Two sets of mains by the way, in order get my clearances right. ACL was the only brand I could find at the time that had a +0.025mm shell.

 

Maybe I got a bad set of Kings, 'cause they get a lot of good press in these forums.

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