Rebuild or replace?

scoobymine · Post by **scoobymine** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 11:05 am

Hi everyone,
I would like some opinions, thoughts, whatever, on whether it would be better to rebuild or replace my EA 81 with something better. My 83 Brumby is in great nick, and although the motor is in fairly good condition, it's starting to feel it's age. I wouldn't want to go turbo or such, just something hopefully to drop straight in. It's something i'd like to contemplate for the future. Cheers Rick

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 11:32 am

Full rebuild of EA81, bore etc has done me proud several times, include carb rebuild and dizzy check as well, radiator service, new hoses etc. Nice thing is it dos not need other bits converted, certificates, arguments and is a drop in job

over to the EJ conversion experts ....

scoobymine · Post by **scoobymine** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 12:10 pm

Thanks Steptoe, that's one for the rebuild.

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:22 pm

If it doesn't have anything major wrong with it I would do this.
Put some SUEC threw it, maybe some of those magic liquids that will fix this and that. Depending on what is wrong with your engine. ( leaky rings).
Give it a good tune and leave it.
While you do this I would buy a second EA81 and start rebuilding it. Then when the time comes swap them over.

Defianatly rebuild over EJ.
Il post details of mine soon.
What I got done and the price.
Then you can see what can really be done to one of these little engines.

Cheers Cam

scoobymine · Post by **scoobymine** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:45 pm

Good idea Brumby kid! The engine is still pretty sound, just a little oil burn, no major rattles. I think a rebuild with a nice webber may be the go.

alang · Post by **alang** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 4:48 pm

rebuild would be the go nice clean up of the internals and no timing belts every 80,000 plus

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 5:27 pm

Rebuild with oversized pistons, weber carby and run only 98 octane, should give it a bit more go

I'm in favor of keeping the EA81's going whether you upgrade or rebuild them since they're so simple to work on, bullet proof and whatever you do they just bolt straight in. It's why I was so keen to find/build the best, most powerful one I could afford which is what I got in the EA81S.

*Waiting for Bennie to put his 2c in about the EJ*

scoobymine · Post by **scoobymine** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:43 pm

Thanks boys that's the way i think i always wanted to go. I guess if you strip it yourself and take all the bits to the machine shop, that keeps the cost down. I've never worked on a boxer motor. My limited experience has been with minis. Are they fairly basic, and what do machine shops charge these days?

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:57 pm

LOTS!!!
Ok a boxer is harder to put the short motor together. (apparently, from my machine shop)
Mine was just under $3k. But I had a lot of extra work done.
I pulled it out, and disassembled the long motor. And will be doing the same, putting it back together.
Give me 10 mins and I will upload what I had done and the costs.
I went to knight engines. Well known for suby engines, and race engines.
As I picked mine up, a guy was dropping off his engine from Perth. (road trip) the quote was $36,000.
So it can range from a couple of hundred for a head skim, to that for a full race engine rebuild.

Cheers Cam

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:14 pm

If you put it back together yourself, make sure you've cleaned the block halves thoroughly, have a torque wrench that's calibrated, and make sure you have the correct sized bearings...speaking from experience

They're really simple being a pushrod engine, would be no more difficult than a mini except the big ends and main bearings are in the middle of the engine not the bottom, so you can't just whip the sump off to change a big end

BK says just under $3k just for machining? I got my engine completely rebuilt for $2.2k that was drop it off, wait a couple of weeks and pick it up again completed. Depends where you go and what you get done I suppose.

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:18 pm

Oh sorry,
Completely rebuilt.
Except for the heads back on, and the inlet manifold.
Il post the details in my thread now.

Cheers Cam

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 2:25 am

I have done complete rebore rebuilds with just crank linish about a grand each time - 12 years ago and 3 years ago, with my pull apart and assemble labour.
If you have/got a Gregories or factory manual bloody helps. There is the simplicity of these in that the cam sits in the block, th block halves hold crank in place - no caps! Never done a build before just requires a bit of a read of manual and even a dry run assembly to work out which block face down on bench - think book even says which way

. So easy you develop a real appreciation for Subaru and these little EA81's