You Asked, We Answered: Subaru EJ20 Rebuild Breakdown | Redline Updates - Hagerty Media

With each Redline Rebuild timelapse we get a whole host of questions. Some are a little more in depth than others, but most can be answered quickly. So that’s what Davin decided to do this week. The Subaru EJ205 flat-four is now up in its new storage home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t clarify a few little things about the process of how it got there, along with a few updates on the last few projects and where they sit now.

The big questions hanging over the Subaru rebuild are about the machining process and coatings. Davin points out that this engine was not a high-performance build, and thus was not taken to the Nth degree while in the machine shop. Building every engine as if it is going to be tuned within an inch of its life and taking the time to get everything absolutely perfect is only spending money for the sake of spending money. It’s always important to match effort with expected results, and that’s a two-way street.

The second big one is coatings. The Redline Rebuild engines always come out looking gorgeous and stay that way even after multiple heat cycles. Most of that comes from the utilization of Cerakote coatings on a multitude of surfaces, from the exhaust manifolds to the plastic timing belt cover; its a ceramic coating that can flex and maintain shape and color even with heat. Davin has tried it all, and some work pretty good, but Cerakote is the coating that he keeps coming back to.

Now, let’s give some updates on previous projects. These engines are stars for awhile and then just disappear for most of you. Contrary to how it may appear, they don’t get palletized and tucked onto shelves. Some do, but the last few have gone into projects that are being completed and upkept by a separate team at the Hagerty Learning Garage. That space is not always open to the public, but luckily Davin knows who to talk to and can take you on a tour of what’s in progress and what became of a few of his favorite engine projects.

As Davin points out, the next couple updates will be centered around the Ford dirt track racer, and we promise you won’t want to miss them, so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to stay up to date on the latest projects.

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