s'ko Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Ok here is something to kick around. If you are lifting an EA81 car, can you make the lift blocks to retrofit an EA82 engine crossmember in place. This would allow for EA82 powersteering, and make it easier to do the 5 lug swap. I am assuming that I would then need EA82 axles. Any thoughts? BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
970subaru Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 very doable I bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPGsuperchargedBrumby Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 from what iv'e heard the ea81 and ea82 crossmembers are different widths so if you offset the holes in the lift right i can't see why it wouldn't work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 right... Well I have an EA81 crossmember and an EA82 crossmember sitting in my garage. Time to get a measuring. Will have some answers by this weekend. BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Making the crossmember fit should be easy but what about the EA81 frame rails (narrow) and the EA82 valve covers/motor (wide). The question is EA82 engine width vs EA81 engine bay at the frame rails lifted height...? Go Sko, GO! Glenn, 82 SubaruHummer 84 GL Mad Max 01 Forester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 Making the crossmember fit should be easy but what about the EA81 frame rails (narrow) and the EA82 valve covers/motor (wide). The question is EA82 engine width vs EA81 engine bay at the frame rails lifted height...? Go Sko, GO! Glenn, 82 SubaruHummer 84 GL Mad Max 01 Forester Here is the set up. EA81 engine, 4 inch lift, EA82 crossmember, I have a crossmember from a 87 GL-10 w/PS. I also remember reading that doing a 5 lug swap a roo w/stock EA81 ball joint arms was more difficult than w/ EA82 parts. I theorize that if the EA82 crossmember is used, then you can use the EA82 recipe for a 5 lug swap. I still have to clear out my garage and then order those toasty casted 4 inch strut blocks from SJR.... So final product is going to be BRAT w/4 inch lift. EA82 Power steering, 5 lug swap and a twin stick set up. Hope to start w/everything by next weekend. BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Been thinking along this same line myself, and started doing the measuring of things. It's been 2 years almost since I started this little project, and I'm not sure of where all my notes are right now. Things I do remember are; The front/rear spacing of the crossmember holes are the same. Yes, the EA-82 x-member is wider, so is the engine, but engine will fit between E-81 frame rails. The side - side measurments of the EA-82 x-member holes is not concentric front - rear vs the EA-81 x-member. To clairify, lets say the front set of holes are 1-1/2" wider than the ones on the EA-81. The rear set of holes are like 1-3/4" wider. It may be the fronts are wider, just throwing the difference out there for info. Using the EA-82 knuckle is the best and easiest way to do it. The EA-81 strut will fit it with no problem. You can use the EA-82 strut, but you need to do some modding of the EA-81 strut top to fit it on the EA-82 strut. Miles Fox has made mention of this a couple times, but I can't really recall what he said. Using the EA-82 knuckle keeps the tie-rod ends and ball joints of the EA-82, otherwise you have to modify things to use the EA-81 knuckle, mainly the tie-rods here. There's a difference in the taper where they fit into the knuckle, and a difference in how the tie-rod threads onto the inner tie-rod on the steering rack. Best just to keep as much EA-82 stuff as possible. You have to cut and re-weld the renforcment area of where the lower control arm attaches, (pivot bolt) to the x-member in order to use the EA-81 arm on the EA-82 x-member. This is due to the control arms being straight vs bent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gravityman Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 I am working on droping an ER27 crossmember into my EA81. Does anyone know the how different the Crossmembers are between the ER27 and the EA82? I know the ER27's is one inch wider on either side, a total of 2 inches total. Can some one take a picture of an EA82 Crossmember for me please??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Gravityman,, I have all 3 x-members out in the garage. I'll get some pics taken of them and get them up on my photobucket page. Can tell you that the front/rear spacing in the XT6 x-member is much different from the EA-81/82 holes. It's also shaped somewhat different than the EA-82 is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gravityman Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Correct. I think what i am going to do is take a 1/4'' thick piece of steel and drill 4 holes in it, 2 for the frame bolts from the EA81 CM and 2 for the CM from the ER27. I would imagine that it would/should work. Cant wait to see the pics! Thanks a bunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c264/TomRhere/X-members/ Above link is to pics of all 3 X-members. The EA-81 is the complete system, then the EA-82, and ER-27. Measurements are as follows; Hole spacing, front to rear; EA-81 = 5-9/16", EA-82 = 5-9/16", ER-27 = 6-3/8". Hole spacing, side - side; EA-81 Front = 31-1/4", Rear = 29-11/16" EA-82 Front = 32-7/8", Rear = 31-15/16" ER-27 Front = 33-1/16", Rear = 31-7/8" A couple pics were taken of the x-members on-top of one another, just to show differences better than telling the law of the ruler. All measurements are to the nearest 1/16" and are not to be taken as word to build from. Let me know if you need more/better pics..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Nicely done with the pictures, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Nicely done with the pictures, thank you. Thanks Shawn. Was trying to get a good show of things related to this thread. Using the OSB was the best contrast I could think of at the time. Also don't like hogging space on the Board, so I got the photobucket site to do things like pics on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted October 12, 2006 Author Share Posted October 12, 2006 I made some rough measurements and here is what I came up with I measures from outer diameter of the holes to the other outer diameter. EA81 front =31 3/4 back =30 EA82 front =33 1/2 back =32 5/8 So we are looking at a difference of 1 3/4 for the front and 2 5/8 for the back The offset in the lift block in the front would have to be 7/8 on each side and 1 5/16 for the back blocks. I will take some more accurate measurements before i make the blocks. BW:headbang: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 You are talking about switching out the strut top. It needs to match the car that is being worked on, so to put the EA81 strut top on the EA82 struts you'd want a spring compressor. (nice time to get new struts or RX springs ) That is literally the only EA81 part you'll have in the front suspension if you have a complete EA82 front end available to you. I'd imagine you could run the EA82 front sway bar as well, without any clearance problems. This has the added benefit of allowing you to swap in an XT4's steering rack which has a tighter turning ratio! You can use the EA-82 strut, but you need to do some modding of the EA-81 strut top to fit it on the EA-82 strut. Miles Fox has made mention of this a couple times, but I can't really recall what he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 I made some rough measurements and here is what I came up with I measures from outer diameter of the holes to the other outer diameter. EA81 front =31 3/4 back =30 EA82 front =33 1/2 back =32 5/8 So we are looking at a difference of 1 3/4 for the front and 2 5/8 for the back The offset in the lift block in the front would have to be 7/8 on each side and 1 5/16 for the back blocks. I will take some more accurate measurements before i make the blocks. BW:headbang: be careful with this, if the blocks are offset, than the forces are not transferred directly into the framerails. it's not like they're holding up the car, but I'd still over-engineer the blocks. XT4 steering rack is quicker than EA82?? hmmmm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted October 12, 2006 Author Share Posted October 12, 2006 be careful with this, if the blocks are offset, than the forces are not transferred directly into the framerails. it's not like they're holding up the car, but I'd still over-engineer the blocks. XT4 steering rack is quicker than EA82?? hmmmm..... Yeah I thought of that. I am probably going to connect the lift blocks in the front end that they will support each other. might solve the problem of having a lift bolt come loose. Barracuda. Actually I am going a couple of steps up the subaru evolutionary ladder and going to put in the front struts from my OBS. Just scored a set of forester XT struts So I am going to put those on my OBS. The OBS struts have about 100k on them but I figure with the BRAT being a lot lighter it should last for another 50 or so. Will have to reinforce the strut towers while I am doing that. Lets hope it all works out. BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 I cleaned up the crossmember and took the steering rack out. I think I am going to weld a piece to the side of the crossmember mount and make it smaller like the EA81 crossmember. Will take pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 order those toasty casted 4 inch strut blocks from SJR.... BRAT w/4 inch lift. EA82 on those blocks I could produce a hybred block with a ea81 Top with the EA82 bottom, that way the stock EA82 strut and strut tops could be used , be 5" or 3-1/2" tall with the tooling I presently have , or tool up for a 4" SJR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 on those blocks I could produce a hybred block with a ea81 Top with the EA82 bottom, that way the stock EA82 strut and strut tops could be used , be 5" or 3-1/2" tall with the tooling I presently have , or tool up for a 4" SJR I will keep that in mind. I was going to ask you about that but then I got the forester XT struts. I will be doing the install on them soon and I will be comparing the stock OBS strut to a EA81 strut. I want to see what the height difference is before I make plans for my strut lift blocks. BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Does anybody know the width of the Legacy cross memeber? Shh, but i'm thinking about putting it into an EA-81. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 don't know the exact measurements but I do have a crossmember from an EJ18 sitting on my work bench. Will take measurements and post tonight BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Any news? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted November 19, 2006 Author Share Posted November 19, 2006 Any news? Sorry for the delay. Ok here are some rough measurements. The distance from front hole to the rear hole is about 6inches. The front holes are 33 13/16 apart and the rear holes are 32 inches apart. Hope that helps. BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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