obk25xt Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) hi, first off i love this site and the knowledge/experience here is good stuff. that being said i have some questions about clearing up some things bouncing around in my head. i have spent a good amount of time searching this stuff (and alot of other stuff too!) and still am a little foggy on some stuff. please do not let my lack of post #'s influence your response to my questions, i am very mechanical and have spent a good deal of time around subarus. i plan on building an on-road ea82 "fun" car. i have a tranny crossmember, rear control arms, and f/r sways all from an 88 xt6. this is how i'm starting my parts pile! i have read some stuff numbchux has documented very well and have a feeling about who will chime in here! i will be using an ej powerplant. i have done a couple ej swaps and have experience here. so, to the questions... 1. xt6 ft4wd vs. awd ej tranny? pros/cons? (adaptation is not an issue, i have that source) 2. for the 5 lug setup can i use all ej stuff? f/r? not too concerned about parking brake initially. 3. which axles would i use? (i'm assuming 25 spline ea82 for the front? not sure about the rear, maybe stock?) in advance, i appreciate the feedback greatly. i apologize if i havent searched thoroughly enough yet! i do my best and so far any/everything i can think of has been answered here somewhere.(part of the low post # reason!) this is a huge resource for people, everything from lugnuts to 3rd gear synchros! edit: thanks miles fox for answering some of this in another thread almost simultaneosly to this one starting! weird... Edited January 10, 2010 by obk25xt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 What car are you working on putting all this into? For the 5 lug swap, I think its easier to use the xt6 rear brake system, as opposed to legacy/newer stuff. legacy knuckles work fine in the front, but you'll need to do the rear e-brake swap (I can't think of which rear calipers you need as of now) at the same time. The rest of your questions are kind of vehicle specific. Whatcha got? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obk25xt Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 i havent decided on which model yet, ea82 for sure, whether it be a wagon, sedan or coupe is still kinda up in the air, first thing i'm doing is stockpiling my parts then i'm gonna see what comes my way as far as being straight,clean and rustfree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 1. On the street, FT4WD means open center diff. which means every time you look at the happy pedal while turning you will just roast a front tire. if you have the '6 trans crossmembers, spend the ~$100 to have your driveshaft shortened (~2") instead of the adapter plate and clutch (much better clutch options for EJ). 2. you will need XT6 hubs in the rear. you can redrill EJ backing plates to bolt to EA/ER trailing arms, and then use the EJ calipers/rotors. that's a good option for upgrading, But you still need the XT6 hubs. For the front, you can just ream out the control arms to accept the larger EJ ball joints. or grab XT6 control arms. 3. will depend what transmission, rear diff, and front hubs you're using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Sorry for the thread jack, but do xt6 transmission xmembers differ if they are an auto or manual? I have a parts xt6 with an auto and a parts legacy thats a 5 speed and might make for my next swap into something, so can I use the xmember from the xt6 and the ej trans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Sorry for the thread jack, but do xt6 transmission xmembers differ if they are an auto or manual? yes. 5MT XT6 and most EJs use 3 transmission support pieces. 2 crossmembers, and a piece between them that the mount bolts to. 5MT XT6 crossmembers will bolt into any EA82. and the EJ center section will bolt to them (and then the EJ mount will bolt to it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obk25xt Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 Thanks for the quick replies, very helpful bunch folks here. So it looks to me the next parts I need to get ahold of are the rear hubs off a 6, then everything else should be fairly common and relatively easy to find from the yards. Hope to be able to start this project soon. Rather than pay someone to shorten the driveline I'll probly do that myself and pay for the balancing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 ^^^^ what they said. all of the above. I am doing the same thing on an 86 3door(in the somewhat near future) I have all the xt hardware including the trans mount. The xt6 is geared differently in the trans than a normal ea trans, and is more appropriate for an ej22 power curve. If i has an ej trans i would opt for that with the viscous center diff and to save tim/labor/money on a bellhousing adapter. I theorize, but dont' know for sure, that if you use an ej trans, an ej driveshaft would be the right lenght(correct me if this is not true) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I theorize, but dont' know for sure, that if you use an ej trans, an ej driveshaft would be the right lenght(correct me if this is not true) I had hoped so, and searched quite a bit. But it's not the case. there are a few problems with it, the carrier bearing is mounted further back in an EJ, so while the transmission is longer, the front half of the EJ driveshaft is the same length as an EA one. even an EJ shaft for an automatic is probably too long. Also, because the wheelbase is different, the rear half is a different length. and most EJ shafts are one piece, so no mixing and matching. there may be a combination that works, but I did quite a bit of searching, and had a few friends measure their spare driveshafts....and found nothing close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 and most EJ shafts are one piece, so no mixing and matching. Most EJ shafts I've seen are a 2 piece bolted flange behind the carrier bearing. At any rate you'd still use your EA rear section and bolt a custom length front section to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I prefer the XT6 trans , but the difference is small and I'm by no means a "sporting" kind of driver, in which case i'd favor the EJ stuff. EJ = clutch options, easier to bolt up, easy to find a replacement or parts should you ever need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Now does anyone know offhand on an ea81 - Whats the difference in mounting an EJ trans as opposed to an ea 5 speed? Is the ej longer, shorter, or wider than the earlier 5 speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 I don't know EA81s at all. But an EJ 5MT is about 2" longer than an EA82 one. width is the same. tranny mount is different, and a bit further back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 That helps, thanks for the reply. I don't know EA81s at all. But an EJ 5MT is about 2" longer than an EA82 one. width is the same. tranny mount is different, and a bit further back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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