Dania02525 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'm thinking about having someone do a full ej swap, with 5sp trans, power steering, wiring, etc in my 82 brat. If I had the space or time, I would do it myself, but unfortunately I do not. So I come to you, experts of USMB. I know some of you are capable, so could you do it for me? I'm considering doing this instead of dropping a sizable downpayment on a new or newish tacoma, but those trucks really aren't exactly what I want. I want a fully restored brat. I'm in texas, but if I decide to do it and find the right person to do it, I can bring the car anywhere in the lower 48 to you, and leave it with you for as long as you need it. Here's what I would want: EJ swap + wiring 5 sp power steering pugs and 2-4" lift Interior and paint, if you know someone. (I've got some spare interior parts) If you do it, you can have a clean ea81 with new weber carb and whatever other parts from the brat you don't use. I know this isn't the proper forum for it, but I want to make sure this gets seen by the real experts on here. If there are any questions about what I'm looking for, post them on here. If you've got an idea of what the cost of something like this would be (you do the work and find the parts needed) please PM me. Thanks!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two85s Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Sounds like a stellar candidate for a USMB............build thread. Good luck with your plans. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) The problem it seems is time. Once a person reaches the point where they can do this sort of work, there time becomes scarce and valuable. Hopefully you can find the right talent at the correct price for you. Either way it is a LOT of work and it will be costly. I have done it. Good Luck, in my opinion it is well worth it if your body is solid. Edited February 26, 2015 by Crazyeights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckarooBanzai Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Well since Shawn at RetroRoo did my 2.2 and 5spd swap, along with the rear disk brake install, 6 lug hub swap and 4" lift install, I would say him! The only thing I didn't have done is the power steering install, which is something I'm eyeing in the near future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dania02525 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 The problem it seems is time. Once a person reaches the point where they can do this sort of work, there time becomes scarce and valuable. Hopefully you can find the right talent at the correct price for you. Either way it is a LOT of work and it will be costly. I have done it. Good Luck, in my opinion it is well worth it if your body is solid. I totally understand this. I've got a solid, straight brat without rust but which is worn from the years and is showing its age in lack of technology. Considering the depreciation I would lose out on when buying a $25k toyota, I think its perfectly reasonable to spend $5-8k on putting my brat together. Also, I prefer to stay away from banks and credit, and prefer to stay away from required emissions tests and associated BS with 25 year and newer cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dania02525 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Well since Shawn at RetroRoo did my 2.2 and 5spd swap, along with the rear disk brake install, 6 lug hub swap and 4" lift install, I would say him! The only thing I didn't have done is the power steering install, which is something I'm eyeing in the near future! I was not aware of RetroRoo- I'll definately give him a call about it- Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBrat Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'd sure do it for ya, if i had a shop! oh, and if you felt comfortable letting an 18 year old college student do the work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dania02525 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'd sure do it for ya, if i had a shop! oh, and if you felt comfortable letting an 18 year old college student do the work... Although the brat in your profile pic looks like its having fun, I'm thinking something a little tamer ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBrat Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two85s Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 RetroRoo is in Denver and he's the owner of this message board, I'm pretty sure. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. There's at least a handful or maybe a dozen really skilled career mechanics, some have worked mainly on Subarus, on this message board. I won't speak for anyone of them because they should. Your project sounds like a great idea and a lot of these people know what you need, what you don't, what's a challenge, or what's hard to find, etc, etc, I recently sold an old Ford to a guy in Texas and he paid a shipper about $840 to have the truck shipped to his house. You could ship your car to one of these USMB Subaru wizards and the parts needed ot they might know who to get the neccessary parts from.....although probably more economical to buy a donor car that has pretty much all the goodies you will need. Have both of them shipped to your choice for the work/ job you want done. Would you be agreeable to someone on USMB, who will do this job for you, doing it as a "side job" for example in their own yard provided you had confidence in their ability/ experience? This could be some very helpful extra income for someone. It would be a good idea to have your plans and desires as detailed as possible so you don't miss or skip something that would be wise to be done along the way and the person doing it knows what you expect. Good luck on the project....sounds freakin awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) I have done most of the mods you mentioned to my 1983 GL Wagon. It's a great car and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's SO MUCH fun to drive. In addition to your specs it has a custom built Full Time 3.9 ratio dual range trans, Clutch Style 3.9 LSD Rearend, and lots more. Go for it! Your Brat won't be stock anymore it will be Better in my opinion! Please start a thread in members rides once you get going! Good Luck! Edited February 26, 2015 by Crazyeights 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Sounds like a super cool project! Since your willing to drive it somewhere, you should consider Gloyale here in oregon. He just helped me with my ej swap last week and things went great. He's got a little subaru shop here in corvallis, and has done ej swaps a bunch of times so you'd be getting someone who's experienced and has all the resources. So he wouldn't just be doing it in his backyard, he's got a proper shop to work in. There's a good handful of people who are capable on the board. It'd probably be ideal to talk to each of them. Gives you a cool opportunity to shop around a bit and see who can help ya out the best for what your trying to do. Just wanted to add gloyales name to the list of people you should consider since things went so well for me. and just my 0.02: ej swapped brat > 25k tacoma anyday! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 i'd lean towards getting the paint done locally. if you mean a complete repaint - that would be 50% or more of a $5k - $8k budget. i'd get a paint quote so you know how much of the budget you want going to that verses mechanicals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dania02525 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Sounds like a super cool project! Since your willing to drive it somewhere, you should consider Gloyale here in oregon. He just helped me with my ej swap last week and things went great. He's got a little subaru shop here in corvallis, and has done ej swaps a bunch of times so you'd be getting someone who's experienced and has all the resources. So he wouldn't just be doing it in his backyard, he's got a proper shop to work in. There's a good handful of people who are capable on the board. It'd probably be ideal to talk to each of them. Gives you a cool opportunity to shop around a bit and see who can help ya out the best for what your trying to do. Just wanted to add gloyales name to the list of people you should consider since things went so well for me. and just my 0.02: ej swapped brat > 25k tacoma anyday! Thanks for the tip, I'll definately consider him- Is he on the board here? How is it for performance/handling? how to expect the axles to hold up with the lift? any shaking or odd noises? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dania02525 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 i'd lean towards getting the paint done locally. if you mean a complete repaint - that would be 50% or more of a $5k - $8k budget. i'd get a paint quote so you know how much of the budget you want going to that verses mechanicals. The paint needs to be done- eventually. I'm not super picky on it, and I was considering an easy to paint color like a gunmetal mettalic or something anyway. Its probably something that could be sprayed pretty easily and still come out good enough for me. My other option is Mexico- they can do a nice job there for pretty cheap if I go that route. I'm mostly concerned with the mechanicals, wiring, and the interior stuff. How do you guys get the HVAC doors working? My cables are all old and cracked and I can't change where the air comes out reliably. If it can be done by someone, great- but if not, that is something I'd probably get a bunch of servos and convert to a fully electrical setup myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks for the tip, I'll definately consider him- Is he on the board here? How is it for performance/handling? how to expect the axles to hold up with the lift? any shaking or odd noises? There should be no shaking or odd noises from a lift. I've installed 2" lifts with no issue. Gloyale also builds or supplies his own lifts. Shawn from retroroo, Scott in WA, and others are also capable members on here. They're also busy - may have better luck contacting them personally via PM, email, or call/contact their shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 (edited) My GL ^^^ handles great for what it is. I can cruise comfortably and effortlessly all day long on the freeway at 80+ if needed. It will pretty much GO ANYWHERE that I have the stones to take it, and in any weather too There is easily enough power to make most passengers concerned, and certainly enough to break something. It sounds and drives like the factory made it. I used SJR parts to do mine, but that was just a personal preference. It runs as smooth as glass, would easily pass emissions if it had to (it does not). Ironically the entire time I owned it with the original EA81 carb'd engine it would always fail I have buried the stock speedo more than once and it feels really solid. I wasn't the least bit terrified I backed off long before the car would. Have fun and Good Luck! Once you start a project like this you likely cannot go back. Your Brat will be a completely new car with all new driving and handling characteristics. It will feel like a monster in comparison, make sure that is what you want. There is something to be said for a properly rebuilt EA81 with a 5 speed dual range as well. That is another of my favorite combinations. Edited February 27, 2015 by Crazyeights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two85s Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I have done most of the mods you mentioned to my 1983 GL Wagon. It's a great car and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's SO MUCH fun to drive. In addition to your specs it has a custom built Full Time 3.9 ratio dual range trans, Clutch Style 3.9 LSD Rearend, and lots more. Go for it! Your Brat won't be stock anymore it will be Better in my opinion! Please start a thread in members rides once you get going! Good Luck! Great Wagon!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe5 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Thanks for the tip, I'll definately consider him- Is he on the board here? How is it for performance/handling? how to expect the axles to hold up with the lift? any shaking or odd noises? He is on the board, his user name is Gloyale and he is pretty active. You can find him on lots of different threads. And your question about the lift is relevant and a good one but not super applicable to my personal experience. I recruited him specifically for help with wiring up the ej motor (he ended up helping me allot straighten many little things while he was at it). But he didn't install a lift on my rig, although as some else already stated he can help you with that too if you want. Also as previously discussed, if your lift is done right you shouldn't have the problems your concerned about. He may be able to help you with cosmetic stuff too. I saw a brat he restored a few months ago and it came out looking super fly. But I'd say just hunt his profile, as well as other members who can do this for you, and try to get in direct contact with them. They will do a better job vouching what they can do than we can. Probably address allot of your questions more accurately too. Good luck with it and look forward to seeing how it turns out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dania02525 Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 He is on the board, his user name is Gloyale and he is pretty active. You can find him on lots of different threads. And your question about the lift is relevant and a good one but not super applicable to my personal experience. I recruited him specifically for help with wiring up the ej motor (he ended up helping me allot straighten many little things while he was at it). But he didn't install a lift on my rig, although as some else already stated he can help you with that too if you want. Also as previously discussed, if your lift is done right you shouldn't have the problems your concerned about. He may be able to help you with cosmetic stuff too. I saw a brat he restored a few months ago and it came out looking super fly. But I'd say just hunt his profile, as well as other members who can do this for you, and try to get in direct contact with them. They will do a better job vouching what they can do than we can. Probably address allot of your questions more accurately too. Good luck with it and look forward to seeing how it turns out! Thanks, I reached out to him, but it looks like he hasn't been online since 25 Feb, so I'll wait to hear back. In the mean time, I'm talking with RetroRoo about a bit more specifics on how he does the swaps. Denver is certainly an easier ride from Texas than Oregon, but I'm really most concerned with who's going to do a bang up job on it. Whoever does it, I'll definately request that they update the project on the board here (preferably with photos) so all of you can ride along with me as the car comes together :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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