lonnie Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 working on 81 brat and looking for engine (and tranny if necessary) upgrade that will reflect favorably on the effort i am making on the rest of the rig. still somewhat new to soobys and do not want to stray beyond marque for solution, so what motor/tranny enhancement would give me the most bang for the buck. do not care if i keep clutch but do what to retain 4-wheel drive. will do fabrication and if possible, keep entire acquisition cost below $1000. many thanks for your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 If it were me, I would be tempted to put in an ej22 and acompainying awd box. But I also realize the historic significance of these generation of cars. And the level of modification it would take to fit everything in there. I would have to think hard about the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubastreet Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 If you're good with cutting and welding you could probably fit an EJ22 in there, but I don't think it'll fit a gen1 chassis without help. For my EA81 I'm currently porting some big valve heads. I then plan to make a custom manifold, MPFI with megasquirt and then supercharge it with an eaton M45. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 I know this link is a multiple time repost. But its well worth the look. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kerrtw/gallery.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonnie Posted August 8, 2007 Author Share Posted August 8, 2007 really appreciate suggestions. Is it not more cost effective to simply install a larger motor than build the existing one? the ej22 i have read about before and seems a logical switch but not so the awd box. would this imply major mods to the axles and/or their placement? in another world far, far away (international harvestor)i am in the midst of a frame off on a 1961 scout, which has become particularly troublesome as regards axles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 The axles may not be as troublesome as some of the posts have lead you to believe. For the gen2's it is as simple as swapping the doj cup with the appropriete 25 spline doj cup regreasing and reinstaling the boot. I don't have any gen1 axles to experiment with, but I would say it would not be more involved that that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubastreet Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Have a look at that link and the work the guy had to do - i.e. chassis widening etc. I don't think even the ea82 will fit as it's OHC so it's wider than the ea81. If you want to put in a modern engine it's much easier to start with a gen2 car. personally I like the look of gen1 cars a lot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Have a look at that link and the work the guy had to do - i.e. chassis widening etc. I don't think even the ea82 will fit as it's OHC so it's wider than the ea81. If you want to put in a modern engine it's much easier to start with a gen2 car. personally I like the look of gen1 cars a lot more. The ea82 is wider than the sohc ej series, which is wider than the ea81. An ej22 or sohc ej25 wouldn't require as much widening as the ej20* or dohc ej25. Dohc ej's require chassis widening even in gen2 cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 An EJ22 will fit inbetween the frame rails of a gen 1 without any cutting. The EA82 just happens to be wider then an EJ22 so the frame rails need to be notched out to make it fit. First off, what are the plans for the vehicle? If you're planning on keeping it on the street, then just use an EA81 since its a bullet proof motor. If your '81 is a GL it should already have the EA81 but it'll be a top mounted starter and will also have a d/r 4-speed as well. If you're looking for more oomph on the freeway or for some offroading, then swap in an EJ22 with an EA82 d/r 5-speed gearbox. It'll fit but will take a bit of modification to do so. In this sort of game, its not really money which you should be concerned about, it'll be the time and patience to make it all work together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonnie Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 since my intended use is "on road", appreciate your observation that it will be the freeway where much of the benefit is realized. to that end i am trying to get a fix on what might be the best adaptation. However, if the conversion to a ej82 and associated 5-sp is a 40hr job for someone with moderate mechanical skills, then my interest is diminished. ican you shed some light on what the conversion time might be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 It will take some time. Not something to blindly jump into. The biggest part will be finding the parts, and getting everything ready. If you know ahead of time what needs to be modified then you can have an ej22 in place in about a weekend(if you are motivated and mechanically inclined). The details of what is required for the ej swap is in a write-up in the retrofitting forum, and I think also in the USRM. It does leave a few things uncovered, such as ej tranny mounting, and driveshaft length. But we can help you figure that stuff out too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubastreet Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 You might want to take some measurements before jumping into it. When I got my brumby the word was that you couldn't stick an ohc engine in a gen1 without widening the chassis. All the write-ups I've seen have been into gen2 or gen3 cars. There's only an inch clearance on each side with the ea81, and the ej18 in my mate's car looks a lot wider than an ea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 An EJ22 will fit inbetween the frame rails of a gen 1 without any cutting. The EA82 just happens to be wider then an EJ22 so the frame rails need to be notched out to make it fit. Just wondering if you dropped one in. How do you know this? Looking to do the same. In the research stage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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