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‘87 is the crossover year (at least for Australia) between the series 1 and series 2. Easiest way to work out if series 1 or 2 is: - series 1 has just an indicator stalk on the steering column, flat grey buttons either side of the instrument cluster and an elongated black honeycomb grille. - series 2 has the combination switch (indicators/wipers/headlight switch) on the steering column, black bordered buttons either side of the instrument cluster and a colour coded grille. Gearbox dimensions and bolt in are the same. The diff ratio could change. There were 3.9:1 diff ratios in the series 1 and I’m 99% sure only 3.7:1 in the series 2. So grab the rear diff with the gearbox and you’ll be sweet. Stick with carb EA82 gearbox as these have the smaller 23 spline diff stubs. The SPFI I’m not sure on as we didn’t get them here. The MPFI and MPFI turbo are the same as the EJ diff stub - larger and 25 spine. The good news is that either diff stub CV shaft is available for the L series. If you can’t find a good set of used factory you should be able to find an aftermarket set, as crap as they might be. Grab the centre console and gearshift linkages and rubber gearshift boot. All the best with it. Cheers Bennie

another option would be using Window Weld - there's at least one guy on youtube that used it to beef-up his original bushings and it seems to be lasting for him. I read of one other person that has used it. I think it can be messy, and there's some period of time required for it to cure. might be worth looking into

I was not able to find any aftermarket bushings that completely replace the old ones for that application. The only ones I could find were "void filler" bushings to stiffen up the factory ones, which I didn't think would be enough in my case as my old bushings were completely torn in half.

Thank You Dave,

Nice. What bits do you need for the Vanagon conversion? Welcome to the forum Cheers Bennie

It’s all Lego!! In my ‘88 L series I’ve got the factory 1.59:1 dual range, phase 2 EJ cases and matched drive gears from an SG foz, L series AWD locking centre diff with a modified pinion shaft for 4.111:1 diff ratio. All of this is a factory bolt in job with an EJ in front of it. And it goes well - just have to not go breaking the centre diff or pinion shaft - I’ve done that once already, very poor job on the first pinion shaft. It wasn’t fun Cheers Bennie

Well I think I figured it out now. I buy the two piece kit and use only the rear most inserts if I dont want to take the diff out. That sounds good to me, I want quick and dirty because I dont plan to keep the car very long. So if I only use the inserts, do I leave the stock rubber alone and just trim the inserts and shove them in? That sounds really easy if that is the case!

yes, may be results of an attempt to undo that 12mm nut on the oil pump shaft I use a rattle gun to get off and glue them back on in order to not damage other components

I had a 1987 GL trans in my 1991 loyale. Straight forward swap

how Positive are you that particular symptom is directly correlated to the axle change? ive seen brand new aftermarket axles blow to pieces in less than 100 miles so I wouldn’t put any symptom past an aftermarket axle.

Might be a weak tensioner, it shouldn't move at all when the engine is running. Half a tooth off on one side isn't a big problem.

We use the 111 on all o-rings, lip seals, oil filter gaskets, thermostat gaskets, etc. Especially any Buna-N (Nitrile) seals. It keeps oxygen from getting at them, which is what ultimately speeds up the hardening and cracking process. We also use it for all dielectric applications since it's a silicone grease. It's food grade so I'm told it goes well with toast. Seriously we love it and use that $hit on EVERYTHING. That and Yield are probably my two favorite shop chems. Also Amsoil HD Metal Protector. We clean them with a lint-free paper towel and brake cleaner because it's a fast evaporating degreaser that leaves no residue and we buy brake clean by the 55 gal drum. We found that our bathroom paper towels that I buy from Costco are essentially lint free. Georgia Pacific Marathon Dispenser Roll Towels. LOL. Cheap too. GD

I love it! there's a guy on this forum named Ferces, also lives in Bogota Colombia, drives a 3rd gen though, happy driving! never seen an owners manual in spanish before, thats something new for me.

Just file it smooth(er). It will be fine. GD

The description reads like front axle. Aftermarket axles are instantly suspect. I never ran one with missing engine mounting bolts, but the noise matching wheel speed makes no sense if it coming from them.

good surface prep is just as, if not more so, important as what paint to use. If it were my car, I would be using automotive paint, but prepping the surface correctly before application. a good source for auto paint is https://www.automotivetouchup.com/ They also have some great directions and "how to" videos to help you get the best results possible

i like frozen caliper many thanks will update with my findings

Nah - that's the inner joint of the CV axle. Swapping axles will change the symptoms and verify. It could be the bearing, they're supposed to be installed with a hub tamer, not a press. If they damaged it by using a press then the bearings and hub will need replaced. Your symptoms are classic inner CV joint issues though, the bearings can cause varying noises around turns but usually aren't so throttle dependent, that's classic inner CV stuff. Get a new OEM axle or used OEM and reboot it and never think about it again If the seized axle thing happens on the other side - just take the knuckle/axle off the car, reboot, and reinstall as an assembly, no need to remove the axle from the knuckle. I've even done them without removing the axle from the knuckle but that's probably not most people's cup of tea and is a better fit for the newer 2000+ style outer boots that last forever and don't need replaced every time an axle comes out. speaking of which - i think you can use a 2000-2004 legacy axle on your car, i used to use them all the time on 95-99 EJ's when I used to work on those older subaru's. they have better outer boots and they're newer. i don't think a FWD imp is any different so that might be a good option.

Swapped the old pan over and there was no damage internally. Car drives great.

if you want to hassle with further diagnosis - swap axles left-to-right and see if the problem follows. factory manual says not to torque axles nuts with weight on the wheel - in the air, put a big screwdriver in a rotor vane and buck-up against the brake caliper, or, find some way to torque axle nut in the air.