devildog78brat Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 I just bought a 78 Brat and its really slow. is there an easy-medium swap that will give me a little extra umph? or is the 1.6 it has in it worth beefing up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenley Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Swap names on the title with me Works every time. Most folks here would agree that a weber carb is a good start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubastreet Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Yeah, weber carb. If you want to go further, an EA81 is a straight swap - 1.8 instead of 1.6 EJ engines won't drop in without some pretty serious work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 adjust valves weber electronic dist. and alt. NGK bpr6ey-11 ea81 not worth the trouble, not a direct swap, only 4 hp difference in stock form ea71 is a happy engine when tuned properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog78brat Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 so with the new carb, dist, alt, and those are plugs you named right. would it be a noticeable difference. and also is there any intake mods that might help me get some colder air? also. if anyone knows of a site with sort of a how to or a step by step on that ea71 swap that would be nice. would i keep my tranni? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 ea81 not worth the trouble, not a direct swap, only 4 hp difference in stock form Wait a second, how do you get only a 4HP difference? 84-65=19HP Check your maths again. 84HP on big-valve EA81s, 65HP on my 1980 1.6 BRAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog78brat Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 Wait a second, how do you get only a 4HP difference? 84-65=19HP Check your maths again. 84HP on big-valve EA81s, 65HP on my 1980 1.6 BRAT. how much could i get that motor for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubastreet Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 I imagine they're dirt cheap, there's lots of them. I bought two a couple of years ago for $50 I thought they were a direct swap but perhaps they don't match the single range tranny. You can get one out of an early 80s leone with the dual range tranny which is the setup in the 81 brat. Torque is up about 15% over the ea71 making for nicer everyday driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog78brat Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 I imagine they're dirt cheap, there's lots of them.I bought two a couple of years ago for $50 I thought they were a direct swap but perhaps they don't match the single range tranny. You can get one out of an early 80s leone with the dual range tranny which is the setup in the 81 brat. Torque is up about 15% over the ea71 making for nicer everyday driving. so the motor and tranny out of the 81? im new to these cars that arent American ha. never had a import. so im real slow when it comes to these ha sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 so the motor and tranny out of the 81? im new to these cars that arent American ha. never had a import. so im real slow when it comes to these ha sorry. Yeah, if you're looking for an EA81 and dual range swap, you can get the engine and tranny from a brat of that vintage, I think through 87, a wagon/sedan from 80?-84, or a hatchback from 80?-89. If I was doing the swap, I would get a 5 speed dual range tranny out of an EA82 car from 1985-1989. It will mate to the EA81 engine with minimal trouble. Another consideration if you're into it is to swap the SPFI fuel injection system from an 87-94 EA82 car onto the EA81 engine while doing the retrofit. You'll get better power, drivability, and fuel economy. General Disorder has a fantastic writeup on doing the swap. 1978 brat w/ EA81, SPFI, and d/r 5 speed = Keep in mind that with that setup, it still will not be "fast", unless you spend a ton of money on serious engine mods, but it'll definitely be quicker, and the d/r tranny is a tremendous improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 and when you're done with the reliable ea71, send it to me I'll check the engine spec book friday when I get back to my weekend home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog78brat Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 Yeah, if you're looking for an EA81 and dual range swap, you can get the engine and tranny from a brat of that vintage, I think through 87, a wagon/sedan from 80?-84, or a hatchback from 80?-89. If I was doing the swap, I would get a 5 speed dual range tranny out of an EA82 car from 1985-1989. It will mate to the EA81 engine with minimal trouble. Another consideration if you're into it is to swap the SPFI fuel injection system from an 87-94 EA82 car onto the EA81 engine while doing the retrofit. You'll get better power, drivability, and fuel economy. General Disorder has a fantastic writeup on doing the swap. 1978 brat w/ EA81, SPFI, and d/r 5 speed = Keep in mind that with that setup, it still will not be "fast", unless you spend a ton of money on serious engine mods, but it'll definitely be quicker, and the d/r tranny is a tremendous improvement. thanks for the info. ill probably do the swap between this month and next month. not sure how long it will take me. im pretty motor savvy and these motors look pretty simple haa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubastreet Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Simple and bulletproof. The camshaft is gear driven so there's no belt or chain to snap. Come to think of it, get as late model EA81 as you can find, the earlier ones had smaller valves. Weber 32/36 DGAV is a popular swap for the standard carb if you don't want to so the efi conversion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 If I had bottomless pockets I'd pick up a supercharger from http://www.dicklandy.com/Products/index.htm#Supercharger. They come set up for Aircooled VWs and make it fit on the EA71 in my 78 Brat. That would be pretty sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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