rwd conversion

[leon]

i know some people here have done a rwd conversion, i would like to know how people have done it and did they encounter any problems afterwards. The reason being my car is part time 4wd and fwd and i have problems with torque steer (running alot of boost) plus going sideways could always be fun.

Any advice on what i could do?

[Brumby Boy]

i know with the D/R boxes like in the brumby all you have to do is pull the front shafts and dissasemble them and then put the outer stub axel back in the hut to support the wheel bearings. then just lock it in 4wd. i had no ill effects wile mine was loke this and that was probably a year or so it was like this till my ute was stolen last month and i drove it real hard and i mean hard the one problem i did have is that tearing rear diff mounts was a regular occurance but i was building some thing to fix this.

 

i dont know how this would go with an rx box? if it has no center diff it should be ok.

 

feel free to pm me if you need more info

[mikeshoup]

I dont know how this would go with an rx box? if it has no center diff it should be ok.

If it has the full time 4wd box, it will work, as long as he keep the diff lock engaged.

 

If you ever takesthat diff lock off though, all the power gets sent to the front (cuz of the open diff in the center), and you're not moving.

 

Also, there's no guarantee that the transmission will hold up to this. I guess its worth a try.

 

My question, is why do you want to do this?

[WoodsWagon]

The car will not hook up well in RWD. It will be fun as anything for getting sideways and doing burnouts, but you won't want to be drifting everywhere.

The full time 4wd boxes with the lockable center diff are not the best for RWD. I have heard of a couple blowing their center diffs while locked and then your not going anywhere. Get either a pushbutton or a dual range box. You only have to remove one front axel. Make sure the outer stub shaft goes back in, it's what supports the bearings.

 

On the torque steer issue, what kind of wheels are you running?

[Ever Victorious]

The reason being my car is part time 4wd and fwd and i have problems with torque steer (running alot of boost) plus going sideways could always be fun.

 

Uhm... stop me if I'm wrong, but torque steer is generated by most FWD transmissions because they have unequal-length halfshafts, causing this phenomena under heavy acceleration. Subarus aren't like that because they have equal-length halfshafts in the front.

 

Wouldn't a bite/steer problem off the line be caused in this case either by imperfections in the road surface or by an alignment issue?

[SOOBOUTLAW]

My '80 wagon was in rwd for a while. Loads of fun powersliding and line lock burnouts. Went through a big stack of tires.

[hooziewhatsit]

Uhm... stop me if I'm wrong, but torque steer is generated by most FWD transmissions because they have unequal-length halfshafts, causing this phenomena under heavy acceleration. Subarus aren't like that because they have equal-length halfshafts in the front.

 

Wouldn't a bite/steer problem off the line be caused in this case either by imperfections in the road surface or by an alignment issue?

 

Another thing you should check are the front ball joints.

 

They died on my 91 loyale, so whenever you hit the gas the car pulled one way, and when you let off the gas it pulled the other way

[Caboobaroo]

my '78 Brat is RWD. I dropped a high compression FE EA71 into it and it would smoke the rear tires all day long. Also had the stock s/r 4-speed in there and it never gave me any troubles.

[SOOBOUTLAW]

my '78 Brat is RWD. I dropped a high compression FE EA71 into it and it would smoke the rear tires all day long. Also had the stock s/r 4-speed in there and it never gave me any troubles.

 

Same setup I had before I blew the transfer case on my third s/r tranny just after restoring 4wd. Got D/R now, broke axle:-\ .

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

Just for Info:

Here in Honduras, Specifically in the Twin Cities that make our Capital City (Tegucigalpa & Comayagüela) I have seen a EA81 Subaru Leone Wagon 1984, runnin´ with just the rear wheels, but the rear diff. is not Subaru, is adapted from a Toyota Corolla 1982 1.8 Wagon... Complete with all stuff, even the Springs that are not coil springs, instead, the owner did weld the parts of the old Toyota, and did a welded "Mix" transmission tube, to connect the original subie gearbox, with the toyota´s diff.

What do you think about?

I will try to obtain pictures of it, in my next travel to capital city (Maybe next week, due to work things to do... )

Also, I saw a Subie EA81 workin´ as Taxi, with that same config.

Well... this was just for Info... But Maybe is good Idea to Try...

[simple monkey]

on kungfutouge, there is a guy running a rwd setup on his outback wagon. he broke a bunch of axels and a couple differentials when he first got it, but now he has a heavily modified tranny tunnel and the diff was reinforced, and since hes done that, he hasnt broken anything.

some of that stuff can be seen here. http://www.kungfutouge.com//phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=96&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=120

[4x4_Welder]

My 81 Hatch is in RWD right now, it works great. It's a d/r 4speed, a little tougher than the AWD differential boxes, though. As long as you don't do too many hard launches, it should be ok.

It's hard to keep a FWD car from pulling, whether it has equal length shafts or not. You get on it, the weight transfers to the rear, the front tires loose traction, and it slips the front tires. They will not slip at the same time, unless you have some sort of spool or locker in the front, it's just the way these things go. So, the side with traction gives a nice hard yank.

[WoodsWagon]

I asked about the wheels because my wagon has wheels with 3.5" of backspacing, so they stick out from the side of the car. When they do the whole loosing traction thing, the wheel pulls HARD. It's because of the leverage that the wheel has on the steering system being offset.

[leon]

mine is an 86 rx turbo sedan, it is normally "front" wheel drive but it has the 4wd option, so i have no center diff - i dont have to worry about welding it up or anything. i have lsd also.

i know most of you who tried this with the full time 4wd.

would it still work? im getting a mixture of responses. i think my leakest link would be axels if i am correct?

 

so all i have to do is pull off one axel and replace the cv joint side of it?

[4x4_Welder]

I pulled both axles out of mine, seperated the outer cup from the shaft, got all the balls and the cage out of it, and put it back in. This is what retains the bearings and hub, so you can't run without doing this.

[Brumby Boy]

i ran my brumby in rwd for over 12months with no problems but it was stock on turbo or anythin

[leon]

I just called up the guys at subaru who specialise in L series and i told them i wanted to to a conversion to rwd, they didnt like the idea but i made up a few lies so he could tell me how to do it. They said to remove the front axle and put it in a vice, either cut or knock off the cv joint side and pull out "the guts of it" and put them back into the hub.

not being a mechanic of any sort this is the clearest image in my head about how to do this.

does anyone have any tips or pics of what this is about? do i need any special tools?:-\

[Caboobaroo]

I just called up the guys at subaru who specialise in L series and i told them i wanted to to a conversion to rwd, they didnt like the idea but i made up a few lies so he could tell me how to do it. They said to remove the front axle and put it in a vice, either cut or knock off the cv joint side and pull out "the guts of it" and put them back into the hub.

not being a mechanic of any sort this is the clearest image in my head about how to do this.

does anyone have any tips or pics of what this is about? do i need any special tools?:-\

 

To pop the CV axle apart, all you need is a couple donor axles if you don't feel like bashing yours up if they're any good, and a big ole hammer. Just hold the DOJ side of the axle (tranny side) in your left hand and hit the CV joint with the hammer. It'll eventually pop it apart and then take the guts outta it. You'll need a 36mm socket for the axle nut, 14mm socket and ratchet for the balljoint on the knuckle, and a drift or also known as a punch that will fit into the hole where the roll pin is on the tranny side DOJ.

[leon]

Thanks heaps Caboobaroo

Thats been the most helpful post. good idea with the donar axle too, i ll go get one this week. i ll let you know how it all goes and i ll keep the camera handy for all those curious minds -

looking forward to smoking more ways than sideways

[leon]

With the pin at the DOJ i know its a 3/16 punch, but i went to the local car shop and they said i m gonna have to go to a tool specialist. is it possible to use anything more common - like maybe a nail or screwdriver etc.?

[joostvdw]

With the pin at the DOJ i know its a 3/16 punch, but i went to the local car shop and they said i m gonna have to go to a tool specialist. is it possible to use anything more common - like maybe a nail or screwdriver etc.?

 

yeah, anything sturdy enough that it won't bend or break, and is the correct size will work, a nail with the pointy bit cut off would work okay I guess

[Chris Rogers]

Thanks heaps Caboobaroo

Thats been the most helpful post. good idea with the donar axle too, i ll go get one this week. i ll let you know how it all goes and i ll keep the camera handy for all those curious minds -

looking forward to smoking more ways than sideways

 

 

keep in mind that you have turbo axles under that and the other normal ones may not fit.

the replies you have here are spot on whith what I told you.

[BlueSteel]

get yerself a 6mm pin punch... short one to start them off and a long one to knock em through.

those 2 tools will be the best investment you ever make

 

oh and i made about 6 months in RWD before i stuffed the gearbox.

 

that was in an L series turbo touring wagon (GL10 i think)

 

The splines on the rear output started wearing badly and kept trying to lock up the tailshaft

 

 

AWD for me now:banana:

[Chris Rogers]

get yerself a 6mm pin punch... short one to start them off and a long one to knock em through.

those 2 tools will be the best investment you ever make

 

oh and i made about 6 months in RWD before i stuffed the gearbox.

 

that was in an L series turbo touring wagon (GL10 i think)

 

The splines on the rear output started wearing badly and kept trying to lock up the tailshaft

 

 

AWD for me now:banana:

 

he''s in brissy. had a chat to him a few nights back.

[mdjdc]

The axle cv joints are held together with an internal snap ring. You can keep the outer cup in the hub. Take the boot off and fish in the cup for the ring. Pry it out and the axle will just fall out along with the ball bearings. It is much simpler than taking the entire half shaft out and then driving the outer cup back in.

 

Have fun.