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Brat build, have some questions on EA82 front suspension


Rally_Blue
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So my Brat build is in full swing, I have an EJ22, D/R 5spd, adapter plate, harness (haven't figured out if I want to keep hacking on the one I got or sending another one to GD for a strip down)

 

I found a 87 GL 2wd wagon at a pick a part near me. It had a power rack (leaky as hell) and most of the front suspension pieces look good enough to restore.

I have done extensive reading on the subject but I still have some questions regarding what is needed for what I want and what I can take off and leave at the yard. I was quoted over $300 for almost everything that bolts up to the engine crossmember. I didn't buy anything today since I felt they were nickle and dimeing me to death charging for a lot of separate pieces and not an assembly like some places do.

 

I definitely want the front brakes to replace the EA81 itty bitty caliper and rotors.

I plan to lift my brat enough to get a good 27in tire to fit along with a 6lug conversion for the wheels I have.

 

My main question is what do I need bare bones to get a good lifted suspension geometry, better front suspension (I plan to use the EA81 mounts since I have a couple new in box KYB hats) and bigger brakes?

Is a swaybar desirable if i am going to lift the car?

Can I bolt up the EA81 manual rack to the 82 crossmember?

Do I even need the crossmember to run the hubs and brakes?

 

Currently I am thinking of taking the crossmember, front control arms with radius rods and plates, hubs, brakes, and springs.

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the ea82 crossmember can be modded to fit. IT is about 2 inches wider overall.

 

What you do is moun the ea82 control arms, use your original radius rods, but the trick is to cut off the mounting ear from the ea82 crossmember and weld it to the ea81. This spacess the control arm back, since the ea82 curves forward and the ea81 is straight. You can just bolt it on, but that will throw off the geometry, and you will have to lengthen the radius rod.

 

So imagine the mounting ears to the control arms The ea82 is welded behind the rear ear, where the rear ear is the fornt, and the new one is the rear.

 

If you look at the ea82, it is spit welded on with a bead somewhere in the middle. The contour of the stamping matches the contours of the ea81 crossmember.

 

By doing this, you can ultimately convert to xt6 or impreza front suspension.

 

I made a build like this, and modified the ea81 tophats to fit the ea82 struts.

 

You can also swap out ea82 rear trailing arms to fit the ea81 by enlarging the hole for the larger pivot bolt. this is less work than trying to swap brakes around (around rusty hardware), and the ea82 drum brake is larger.

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I have a crossmember with control arms and radius rods. The steering rack was already taken. I just removed the struts and knuckles ot let go with my GL.

 

But, if there is a convenient way to ship it, feel free to make an offer.

 

this is from an 86 gl coupe

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So cutting the mounting ears off the EA82 crossmember will reposition the suspension and allow me to run the knuckles on an EA81. Will this allow me to retain use of the EA81 axles?

 

I am currently shying away from EJ or XT front knuckles simply because I dont want to deal with the custom axles and ebrake modifications. I want to stick with a 6 lug as I already have some truck wheels for it.

 

The pick a part wanted $50+ for the crossmember and like 25 for each control arm. I will need radius arms as one on my brat is bent and the EA81 are thicker.

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This allows you to use the ea82 axle. The control arms are longer. You will have a wider track in the front, with ea82 dimensions. This will help to make the camber less positive as well, with the ea81 body's strut towers in relation to the track.

 

If you went with xt6 suspension, you use the 23 spline cup from a turbo ea82 3at, since it is the same diameter as the 25 spline cups in turbo mt. the other workaround is using FWD impreza axles, but you have to change the inner seal to match that axle. Using an xt6 setup will retain the same parking brake mechanism.

 

The suspension mod overall prevents you from having to chop together a custom length axles. The nice thing about subarus is you can retrofit entirely with stock parts, just the right combinations, and only little mods, which allows you to 100% oem replacement parts for your retrofits.

 

If you want to be simpler with a retrofit, you can use the ea82 knuckle and strut with the ea81 spring and tophat, and use an ea81 inner seal on the knuckle to use the ea81 axle in the ea82 knuckle.

 

The ea81 has both inner and outer seals the same size. The ea82 uses the same size on the outer seal, but the inner seal is larger for the ea82 axles.

Edited by MilesFox
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Thanks for the advice.

 

Is there any benefit using the whole EA82 crossmember? Is it easier to modify to bolt up to the EA81? So far I think I have probably eliminated 100-200 from the bill at the pull a part by not picking up everything.

 

I will be headed back Wed to get the parts I need

 

So far I'm going to get crossmember, front control arms and radius arms, knuckles, and brake parts.

 

Unless Miles can get me the crossmember, control arms and rad arms for cheaper.

I think the prices on those parts are around 80bux

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I modified an EA82 crossmember to mount to the EA81 chassis.

 

Sk'o accomplished the same thing by using 3" wide blocks for his lift....offseting the holes to make the difference.

 

Either way, it's a huge improvement.

 

Part from EA82

 

Crossmember, rack, control arms, radius rods (mounts perfectly to the EA81 plates) knuckles hubs and brakes.

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  • 9 months later...

Does anyone have any pictures of this conversion? I'm planning on doing it soon and it'd be nice to get a visual of what is required. Specifically, I'd like to see the mounting ear that needs to be moved, it's a little hard to visualize from just a description.

 

What is the effect of using the EA81 radius rods vs. the EA82? MilesFox recommended the EA81 and Gloyale recommended the EA82 radius rods. I'm just wondering what the difference is.

 

Thanks!

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Does anyone have any pictures of this conversion? I'm planning on doing it soon and it'd be nice to get a visual of what is required. Specifically, I'd like to see the mounting ear that needs to be moved, it's a little hard to visualize from just a description.

 

What is the effect of using the EA81 radius rods vs. the EA82? MilesFox recommended the EA81 and Gloyale recommended the EA82 radius rods. I'm just wondering what the difference is.

 

Thanks!

 

I used the whole EA82 crossmember, Radius rods, axles, hubs and brakes. with EA81 struts.

 

The way miles describes, you are basically just changing out A-arms and Knuckles. You don't get the geometry benefit of the wider stance/axles.

 

It's super easy with a lift too, because you can just make your lift block with EA81 spaced holes up top, and EA82 width holes to bolt to the crossmember.

 

Also, EA82 power steering racks are plentiful and cheap (compared with EA81) The EA81 manual rack will not bolt up to the EA82 crossmember, so you will need a PS pump, or a manual EA82 rack.

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Also, EA82 power steering racks are plentiful and cheap (compared with EA81) The EA81 manual rack will not bolt up to the EA82 crossmember, so you will need a PS pump, or a manual EA82 rack.

I just installed an EA82 power rack in an EA81 manual crossmember with very little modifying. A little trimming where the lines came out by the shaft headed to the steering column and a slight amount of slotting on the clamp brackets that hold the rack in. Am I missing something? I realize you were talking the opposite combination but it would seem that it wouldn't be too much different going the other way.

Edited by capn_r
clarity
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My primary reason for wanting to swap to the EA82 crossmember is to get powersteering since I prefer it and my manual rack is shot. This is the first time I've heard that the powersteering rack will fit with minimal modification. I'll have to think about which direction I want to go now.

 

Thanks for the info everyone!

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I just installed an EA82 power rack in an EA81 manual crossmember with very little modifying. A little trimming where the lines came out by the shaft headed to the steering column and a slight amount of slotting on the clamp brackets that hold the rack in. Am I missing something? I realize you were talking the opposite combination but it would seem that it wouldn't be too much different going the other way.

 

EA81 rack input shaft is short, and has the big ragjoint yoke on it. Doesn't fit into the hole on the EA82 crossmember.

 

Anything can be made to fit with cutting/welding/modifying....which I am a fan of.

 

I was saying it won't "bolt up" directly.

 

Go for the whole front crossmember. Then if you bend a radius rod or A-arm, replacements are easy to find.

 

The wider stance totally corrects the Geometry and yeilds superb camber compared to stock.

 

Plus longer axles mean the possibilty for more articulation.

 

Also, Even though it's wider....I'd swear the EA82 setup yeilds a tighter turning radius.

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I'm currently tackling the swap.

I initially purchased a SJR lift for my Brat, wanting to run the lift and EJ swap with the manual rack and had just about everything bolted up before finding out my brake calipers couldn't be "spread" or reset to fit some new pads I had.

After looking at the EA82 Takeoffs I had laying around I bit the bullet and ordered a 4x3" block of square tube so I can modify the mounting points on the lift. EA81 on top EA82 on bottom. Along with maintenance items for the brakes, axles and tie rods, I'm planning on running an EJ power rack since they are much easier to find around my area and it should be all mounted in a few days.

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  • 2 months later...

Yes actually,

I used practically all the EA82 suspension and brake parts. Corssmember, axles, hubs, brake calipers, radius rods, sway bar, and control arms.  Not really any pictures to speak of, sorry.

I was able to bolt up the EJ power rack also. I had to do some modifications to the crossmember to get everything to fit. I had to cut out a hole for the lines, and clearance the input shaft for the rack. I used EA82 tie rod ends. They fit pretty well, almost all the way in.

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  • 3 years later...

Can anyone who's done the complete EA82 crossmember/suspension swap comment on the radius rods? I bolted an EA82 crossmember into my BRAT today, using 3" lift blocks with offset holes, but my radius rods are about an inch too short to reach the holes in the controls arms. It is possible that I just have the crossmember positioned too far forward...

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