Car/Engine Origins

[djc]

Hey Guys, i need your help.
I'm trying to get Fully Comp. Insurance for my car, a 1991 VZ Legacy. Only issue is the plate in the engine bay says EJ22, yet the engine says EJ20. Noone will insure me until i find out which model Subaru my engine came from, and what year.
I've got a silver compliance plate in my engine bay, so i know it was brought over to Oz legally.
I've gone back to the previous owner, who said he doesn't have the details of the person he bought the car off anymore (was over 4yrs ago).
Does anyone know how i can re-trace the steps of my cars build?
After doing a search online i've also found that the VZ came with a EJ20 engine in it as standard, so technically i've got a car that has no modifications.
I've posted my chassis and engine codes before, and it's stumped everyone.
BC6CU7G
??

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[SubbyRS]

I recall going down this road before djc......still no answers ey??

BC = sedan
6 = 2.2L 2WD
C = 1991
U = ????? (should be 4 for 4 doors)
7 = RS-r
G = 5mt, SOHC, EGI

Sedan or wagon?
Man or auto?
Air suspension?
2.0L quad cam?
2WD or AWD?

The VZ was available as sedan or wagon, auto or manual, 2WD or AWD and could be spec'd with air suspension.

Can you post a clear pic of your build plate on the passenger strut tower??

[BenTZ]

i can tell you if its got ej22 on the compliance plate its an aus delivered shell...... so basically someones bought a vz and a rolling lib shell and swapped everything over .so to answer your question the engine is from a 1990 vz legacy
( assuming it was all swapped over from the same car )
if its a wagon shell the option code (on the builders plate ) should be DX
also whats the chasis number?
is it a ej20 na or turbo? if its an ej20 na with SOHC its from a late impreza, if its a DOHC ej20 na its either from an early impreza or an na VZ.
edit:
is there an australian compliance plate on the RH strut tower? can you get a pic of the body tag (s) ? also does your chasis number start JF*** or B****? if its JF its australian or european delivered, if it starts with a B its JDM or NZ delivered. is it manual or auto? dual range gear box? what colour is the interior? does it look l anything like gx trim?

[rec01l]

yeah is this an EJ20T or NA?

[Ads]

...if its a wagon shell the option code (on the builders plate ) should be DX...
OT, I've seen DX thrown around a few threads. I have a Gen 1 S2 GX Sedan and the option code is DX, what's the dealio?

[dtrally]

I'll bet you've got a full japanese car that someone has fitted Aussie tags from a wreck onto for licensing. If your body number starts with BC.......and you've got an Aussie compliance listing EJ22 then it is suspicious.

[d_generate]

Yup could be a dodgy like mine, registered & insured as a Liberty for 6 years then it had a very minor accident, I bought it, fixed it up & put it over the pits to be told it's not registerable as it was brought into the country in 99 for wrecking purposes only, luckily they relented & eventually regoed it with a new VIN no. but its a 2L quad cam auto Legacy wagon from one end to the other, climate, electric swing away mirrors & a really weird intake manifold. there should be a number stamped on the firewall, mine had a plate welded over it with a different number & no alloy plates at all, had to grind it off so they could check the history.

[naif]

VIN will be stamped into the firewall just above the brake booster,

and yes my car also has the option code "DX" its a gen 1 liberty wagon, funny as my brothers frontcut has the option code "GX".

[djc]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b75/djcolen/IMG_0880.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b75/djcolen/IMG_0878.jpg

These are my plates. It's a EJ20 N/A Quadcam motor in it. I also need to know what Kw it is meant to be standard. From what i've found 102kw seems to be the average....??

[naif]

DJC those plates are AUS SPEC, id seriosly be checking the number printed into the firewall just above the brake booster with the vin on those plates. if it is the same, your car is infact a liberty.

a legacy plate looks like this
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/naifslib/legacy.jpg

and a liberty looks like this
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/naifslib/libertygx.jpg

SubbyRS you seem to be able to identify the model code, could you possibly do mine? (code on the liberty plate above)

[91rs]

have you checked with subaru head office ? might be worth a try...

also learning to use the macro function on a camera would be just as useful

[BenTZ]

whats the chasis no?

[d_generate]

Does it have climate controll, internal reverse beeper, 180kph speedo, intermittent rear wiper & electric fold away mirrors? Legacy, if not, more than likely Liberty with a Legacy motor transplant.

[djc]

I've been away all weekend, and haven't had a chance to go look at the engine bay to check vin number on the chassis, but i will first thing tomorrow.
It has climate control, 180Km speedo, rear wiper, electric fold away mirrors, chrome door handles, legacy badging, numberplate in the rear bumper with rear centre facia.

[troystoy]

sounds to me like a GHOST prob a import legacy with aus liberty compliance match up your compliance plate and your body number i doubt they will be the same.ps i smell a rat ,this seems very sus ???

[djc]

Sus indeed. Why must i have a love for "different" cars...??

OK'. I've just had a look at the engine bay and it DOES infact match the compliance plate. It looks very normal, and shows no signs of being tampered with in any way. Someone must of spent a lot of money turning an Aus spec car into a non-Aus spec car.

I'm realy confusered.... :/

[dtrally]

[QUOTE=djc]Someone must of spent a lot of money turning an Aus spec car into a non-Aus spec car./QUOTE]

Why? because the Aussie car was probably rear damaged or rolled and the Jappo Legacy was too new to be licenced under the 15 year rule so some dodgy mofo welded the Aussie front on.
If you really want to open a can of worms look at the seatbelts for Australian standard markings and date of manufacture (its on the tag) and use a torch to look down the window gap into the doors and check for intrusion bars. Aussie cars have a large corrugated bar about 100mm high. Jappo's have only a vibration damper about 30mm high and complianced imports (usually) have a bit of round steel tubing welded in horisontally through the guts of the door (usually looks like a wrecker's yard Gorilla has made them)

[dtrally]

What colour is the car under the carpet, because 230 is supposed to be white?

[d_generate]

HeHe....well not really, but you probably have a car that came from the same eastern states importer as mine & was somehow put through rego "unnoticed" about 7 years ago.
I was lucky & got it all sorted, keep quiet or there is a chance you may lose the rego if you make too much noise, or get rid of it & let someone else worry about it.

[djc]

Under the carpet is white, as per the code. The seatbelts are japanese (although the date of manufacture has been blacked out), and i can't see too clearly into the door to get a good look at the intrusion bars.
It doesn't really bother me personally, but it does my insurance agency when they are scouting for answers.

[djc]

... keep quiet or there is a chance you may lose the rego if you make too much noise, or get rid of it & let someone else worry about it.

Hehe my thoughts exactly, but i do really like my car, as it is "different".

Is your insured? If so who with and how?

[DarkRS]

i insured mine with shannons.

Mines a conversion, which means that the engine number is different etc etc to the standard. All you need to do is call the RTA, ask what you can do etc. All i needed to do mine was a stat dec that i didn't know where the engine came from, a blue slip and that was that. THe engine swap was allowable under owner certified modifications (mines a 90 shell with a 93 engine) not too hard to get it legally registered!

[yods]

That's interesting to know DKS51R - from your userinfo you are a canberran but you mentioned RTA? Was this in NSW or the ACT? (Or are the rules/regs the same)

[BenTZ]

so basically what has been done is a reshell, someone has bought an accident damaged legacy and a rolling aus delivered shell and swapped everything over. this is perfectly legal , there are a few cars on the forum like this.

[djc]

Hmmm....yes. It seems that way. So do i insure it as a Legacy or Liberty? hehe Damn insurance companies and their questions.

Thanks for all your help so far guys!

[BenTZ]

insure it as a lib, thats what it is, just as mine is a lib according to the chasis no.

[d_generate]

so basically what has been done is a reshell, someone has bought an accident damaged legacy and a rolling aus delivered shell and swapped everything over. this is perfectly legal , there are a few cars on the forum like this.

No the other way around, they have bought a wrecked Aus Lib then gone to or "been" an importer & changed the Lib ID over to the Legacy, or just had an insider who let it go through rego......like mine, my car has nothing Liberty on it at all, pure Legacy but regoed as a liberty.
Mine only has third party on it but it was insured by RAC, WA before I bought it, hence I bought it from pickles thinking it was a Liberty cos that's what it was written off as & sold as.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c119/d_generate/TomsPohtoscarslancelin037.jpg
Bet it looks a lot like this, except I have'nt painted the front bar.

[paddo]

so basically what has been done is a reshell, someone has bought an accident damaged legacy and a rolling aus delivered shell and swapped everything over. this is perfectly legal , there are a few cars on the forum like this.
actually, rebirths are not legal. conversions are though.

I'd keep it quiet about what you know so far... speak to the RTA and get them to add the new engine into their database as the correct one, and get it insured...
It would've come into vic more likely, and been rebirthed here.. we had a huge amount of dodgey rebirths recalled and deregistered about 18 months ago..

those of you who know deaks, his car was stripped and sold for parts because he couldnt pass compliance because of a dodgey importer.... the more noise you make, the more problems it will cause.

[djc]

....Bet it looks a lot like this, except I have'nt painted the front bar.

Well kinda, minus the wagon part, and that's only a side view. :D

Paddo, i'm going to do just that. Keep it to myself, and insure it as a Liberty. :D

Thanks very much guys for all your advice.

[d_generate]

I honestly think the only reason my rebirth went through is because I saved a certain inspectors fathers life a few years ago, otherwise I would have been in the same boat as deaks.

[BenTZ]

No the other way around, they have bought a wrecked Aus Lib then gone to or "been" an importer & changed the Lib ID over to the Legacy, or just had an insider who let it go through rego......like mine, my car has nothing Liberty on it at all, pure Legacy but regoed as a liberty.
Mine only has third party on it but it was insured by RAC, WA before I bought it, hence I bought it from pickles thinking it was a Liberty cos that's what it was written off as & sold as.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c119/d_generate/TomsPohtoscarslancelin037.jpg
Bet it looks a lot like this, except I have'nt painted the front bar.

well why do all the aussie numbers match up incl the firewall? it still liiks to me like all the legacy parts have been put into a lib shell, not a numbers job.

[d_generate]

Dunno, something fishy though, too much Legacy stuff to be a Liberty re body.

[BenTZ]

Dunno, something fishy though, too much Legacy stuff to be a Liberty re body.
not really, i have seen a few cars which are australian delivered bodies with every piece from a legacy fitted, if you can have what you want for half the price wouldnt you ?

[dtrally]

Dunno, something fishy though, too much Legacy stuff to be a Liberty re body.

I agree, there's a cut somewhere on that car, If you look hard enough you'll find it. No one would fit Legacy seatbelts into a perfectly good Liberty and black out the code without good reason. Anyway, the current owner has done nothing dodgy so best not dig too deep.

[d_generate]

Honestly doubt there is even a cut, mine came here as a complete car for wrecking purposes only in Melbourne mid 99 (they have an Aust wide database now with records going way back) & within months it's a Liberty in Perth...go figure. Glad I've got it though, cos mine died on the weekend, & I've probably only done about 700k's in it since I put it on the road over a year ago, but it's done a further 13,000 as a loan car, I always seem to get it back just when I need it, I've gone to sell it about 4 times now but just as I do, someone else needs to borrow it, now it's my turn.