Squidfisher Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Well y'all, after a year of reading all yer posts, i finally get off, er, on my butt and post my own. Here goes.... I have an '84 2wd 5sp hatch that i was planning on selling. I recently came across a pretty decent '84 gl turbo auto. i have access to a 5sp d/r. how big of a deal would it be to stuff the EA81T and 5sp d/r into the hatch? I know about the EFI electronics issues, driveline length, etc., but what about the tunnel width? is a 2wd tunnel too narrow/short? and what about flywheel/clutch stuff? i see a lot-o-posts about EA82 into a EA81 car, but i'd be going the other way. I have an auto repair shop in central cali, so tools and such are no problem, and i know that with enuff oxy and acetylene you can stuff anything into anything, but any info up front would be super helpful and save a mess-o-time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 superrally volvo I think had some problems with linkage clearance with his 5 spd 4wd into a 2wd (I think) turbowagon. It needs Jerry's kit for a crossmember to fit the 5spd tranny in I hear, or you could adapt/make your own. Any clearance issues can be solved with a hammer, or spacers to drop the tranny down slightly, or lift Don't know anything about the clutches, I think you have to mix and match ea82 and ea81 parts, but thats as far as I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidfisher Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 Thanks, man! Jerry's kit?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Tunnel is WAY too small - so small a 4 speed won't even fit without spacers or beating. A 5 speed will be an even larger challenge since they are bigger than the 4 speed. I've done that swap ('84 5 speed 2WD to 4 speed D/R), and without a lift I don't see how you could get the 5 speed in there without actually cutting the tunnel, and welding in some new metal. People on the board love to go on about how easy this is when none of them have actually done it. I have done it, and I can tell you I will NEVER do it again. John (Mudrat79) has also done it, and agrees with me - he'll never do it again either. We discussed it at length. He was pretty amazed that I got my car together at all considering all the problems there were. If you want to buy a lift later it won't fit right, etc..... Much simpler to just find a 4WD car and start with that.... Your talking about Mass work, and probably many hours to get it all in there. What with the turbo motor swap and all. It can be done tho. The EA81T is intensly different than a regular EA81. The whole engine bay is laid out differently - the battery is on the other side. The wiring harness is vastly different due to all kinds of electronics that the carbed EA81 doesn't have. Not to mention the EA81T's are hard to get parts for, and are only making 95 HP. You can easily exceed that with a built EA81 and a weber.... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 ALL EA81T turbo wagons (Matt's included) are pushbutton 4WD. He was not putting the 5 speed into a 2WD chassis - MUCH easier. Also - the tunnel of an auto tranny car is completely different (and bigger) than a 2WD 5 speed. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 didn't figure he'd get a response tonight, so I figured I'd give him what I've picked up on the board. It's not like he was going to do it overnight. I've never done the tranny swap myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Not bashing on YOU in particular basher - your correct in that this is the feeling one gets from the rest of the board. I've been telling people what it's really like for a while now, and no one listens - oh well. Just want him to have the CORRECT information. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidfisher Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 You guys rock! It's almost 11pm, and people are answering me. of course, it would be lifted, if that makes any difference. You say the lift won't fit right? Why? i know the EA81T isn't as cool a starting place as something else, but it would be a cheap way to go, and i love the idea of no HP loss at altitude w/turbo. if it works out, i can get the whole wagon for doing rr wheel bearings on a grand vitara, which is a lot cheaper than building up an EA81. hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Lift will help matters a LOT. But you will have linkage issues afterwards. Mudrat had to weld up parts of another 4WD shifter to mine in order to get it connected, and the gear selector sits at a funny angle (he had to torch it and bend it a bit) - gears aren't where you expect. 4th is where 2nd should be, and reverse is where 4th should be - whole thing is shifted to the left a bit. I'm just saying that you shouldn't expect it to just bolt everything together - there's going to be sticky problems that will require solving. You'll have to trade gas tanks, and complete exhaust systems. When you trade the tanks - make sure you swap the sending units too - keep the sending units with their respective gauges, or you could get unpredictable readings.... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archemitis Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 you got a shop and a welder, and two subarus, that would make one awesome subaru. im not going to try and talk you out of it. i say go for it. if you have to, run a 4 speed, with bigger tires you wont get into fifth often, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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