300td4x4

If the flipped tranny would drag on the ground that kills the whole idea, I guess.

I searched but did not see this idea discussed. I am wondering if anyone has considered flipping an entire Subaru transaxle for use in a rear engine vehicle? I think this would only be possible with a manual. I don't think the engine would bolt up with it being right side up. So how about flipping the engine, too? Perhaps the cylinder heads could then be flipped back over so the intake is still on the top and the exhaust on the bottom? Obviously something would have to be done about the oil pickup and sump. Any ideas? If this has already been discussed I apologize. BTW, my intention would be to retain AWD, using a flipped Subaru differential in the front. I would want to use this in a VW like a Squareback or maybe a Bus. Brian

mtnsmiths, We are only at 4000'. We got only about 3" of snow last week. Then it pretty much all melted off. It was snowing when I left for work this morning at about 5:30. Where do you live? Brian

Calebz, By the way, what is a +T conversion? Brian

I would use the Subaru subframe and find a way to mount it to the Volvo chassis. Cool that you physically checked the dimensions. By my measurements there is about 1.25" clearance total between both sides of the frame rails and engine. Brian

I am looking at a 92 Legacy AWD 5 spd NA tomorrow for parts. Apparently it was in a side impact accident. The engine bay is intact but it won't start. Is there some type of inertia switch that shuts off fuel when the car has been in an accident? Brian

So 2 pipes all the way out the back would be bad? How about an H pipe instead of an X pipe?

I am considering putting a Legacy engine/tranny in the front of a Volvo 245 wagon. Does anyone know if something like this has been done before? (i.e, using a Subaru engine/trans to go to AWD from a formerly RWD car? Here is a link to another hybrid wagon I built a few years ago: http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1185395 I have done some careful measuring for the "Volvaru" project and an ej22 will fit between the "frame" rails of a 240. There is about a 1/2 -3/4" clearance on each side. The length of the engine with a radiator will fit behind a 240 grill, too. The cutting would be around the engine crossmember area if you want a relatively low ride height. With a 3 inch lift there would be very little cutting there. The top mounts of the subaru struts are out about an inch each way of the Volvo mounting points. The subaru struts have mild steel flanges with two bolts. Elongating these bolt holes would allow for correcting the camber provided the axles will telescope enough, which I think they will.

Has anyone tried dual exhaust on a ej22 or any other subaru flat four for that matter? I would think this would improve performance. Obviously running the two exhaust pipes out the back would present issues.

Has anyone tried dual exhaust on a ej22 or any other subaru flat four for that matter? I would think this would improve performance. Obviously running the two exhaust pipes out the back would present issues.

Has anyone tried dual exhaust on a ej22 or any other subaru flat four for that matter? I would think this would improve performance. Obviously running the two exhaust pipes out the back would present issues.

What other fenders will interchange with a 97 legacy outback? Will a non outback legacy fender interchange if you can install the mudflap? How old of legacy will work?

I bought it for $1200. It has a 2.5 DOHC. I was able to actually drive it home. The hood, pass fender and bumper are the only damaged sheet metal. It was paid off by the insurance and there is no title at this time. I don't plan to put it back on the street as a Subaru anyway. Now I'm looking for a Volvo wagon.

I am going to look at a '97 Outback Wagon LTD today with front damage. The engine is supposedly good. In fact it was a "low mileage" Japanese unit that supposedly had new seals put in it by a mechanic before it was installed. The engine is a 2.5. Not sure of the year of the engine. The car has a 5 speed. The guy wants $2K for the whole car. I think I could get if for less. I have been looking for either a ej22t or a ej25 and a manual tranny and the front suspension for a AWD Volvo project. I really want the 5 speed. I'm looking for some advice. I heard something about the head gaskets on these engines. Would it be dohc or sohc? Which is better? Any advice is welcome. If I get the go ahead from you guys I'll probably make him an offer today. I'll be leaving here to look at it so if you have an opinion I'd appreciate it if you could post soon.

This Nippon motors, http://www.nippon-motors.com/subaru.htm, just says ej20t. They do break it down into sohc and dohc, however. obviously that is not enough info. I guess I'll email them to see what they are. What would be the designation of your WRX motor from the front clip? ej20what? What would be the hp rating? It would include the ECU, right? What would be the gear ratio i'd need to have for the rear end?

Pollock Pines is in the Sierra Nevadas at 4000' elevation halfway between Sacramento and Tahoe in California. We get up to 3 or 4 ft of snow accumulation some years. How about the strength of the Impreza trannies vs. the Legacy trannies? The thing is that you can easily find Impreza manuals here at JY's for $100 or less while the Legacy's at these yards are almost all autos. From what I've seen the ej20t gets about the worst fuel mileage of all ej's. Is that correct? I guess it would make sense since it makes the most power, right? Or is there a ej25t. I was thinking I could do this pretty cheaply if I bought a JDM ej20t or a ej25t or ej22t if I could find one. Then use an Impreza 5 speed and either Impreza or Legacy shafts and suspension. Then the only thing I'd have to get at a non selve serve JY would be the engine and ECU. I'd definitely consider the front clip route for the right price. How much do they go for? A wrecker around here quoted me $3K for a 2.5 Legacy front clip. More than I want to spend.

Another question. I have been doing some volvo research and it seems that there is quite a bit of axle ratio compatibility. Volvo axles I could use include 3.31, 3.54, 3.73, 3.91, 4.1, 4.3 and 4.56. I have seen Subaru ratios of 3.9, 4.11, 4.44, 3,545 and 3.7. It seems I'll have the best chance of getting a 5 speed from an Impreza. What is the common ratio for a 1.8 Impreza 5 speed's rear dif?

Dennis, thanks for that link. Another question, will any Impreza or Legacy trans work with these trannies? I definitely want a 5 speed. A thought just occurred to me: maybe the top mounts of an Impreza are closer together than a Legacy? If anyone has an impreza near by could you measure the distance between the centers of the top strut mounts on an Impreza? I think the Legacy ones are 41" apart and the Volvos are 39.5" apart.

So if i buy one of these ej20"t" 's for $650 it is going to have at least 200 hp? That sounds pretty good. I would guess this assumes I am using a comparable intercooler. Where is the turbo on these engines? How does the exhaust cross over? Can an American spec ECU be made to work? Have you never checked your mileage with any of your cars? I guess I would expect mileage similar to what a WRX gets, right? Do these things always have to be run on 91 octane? Sorry to offend you with the Ford powered Porsche. Keep in mind that old 914's aren't worth that much. Many Porsche enthusiasts reject them as not being really Porsches since they were a joint venture with VW and were sold in other countries as a VW. Of course those are perhaps are people who don't realize that Ferdinand Porsche designed the Beetle and his son used a Beetle chassis to make the first 356. Not to mention that 914's have more in common with the original Porsches than the front engined 924's, 944's and 928's. The Ford engine choice met 4 criteria: More hp than any stock 914 including the 914-6 (190 hp vs. 115), the ability to run cool enough to run an AC compressor on a hot day, cheap and easy to get parts, fuel economy equal to or better than a 4 cyl 914. Also, consider that Ford engines have powered some pretty exotic cars such as the Pantera and Cobra, not to mention being involved in building the winningest Formula one engine of all time, the Ford Cosworth DFV. BTW, this 914 is a runner and it rocks, if I do say so myself. It has 16" 5 lug Fuchs alloys, front and rear sway bars, intercooler, the coolant runs through the roll cage, etc. I have considered using a Ford 2.3t for this project but the Ranger transfer case I would need would necessitate lifting the car by 4 inches, not what I want. Putting the Subaru stuff in the Volvo doesn't look too bad compared to other things I've done. I would have to cut into the area where the cross member goes on the Volvo body. That area would need to be about 6 inches higher. The top strut mounts are 1.5" closer on the Volvo. I plan to use the subaru struts and the subaru cross member and correct for the camber where the struts bolt to the upright.

I have done some searching on this board about JDM ej20t's. I can't seem to find any hard data. I'd like to know what the horsepower rating is. I've seen them listed at NipponMotors for $650. has anyone out there actually used one? What kind of fuel economy do you get? What do you do for an ECU? I am the guy with the MB 4x4 wagon. I have sort of given up on finding a pre 1976 Subaru so am now looking to make a pre 76 Volvo wagon AWD using Subaru stuff/keeping the Volvo rear axle. The stock Volvo only has 115 hp so I'm pretty sure I can exceed that. I'll be driving the car almost 100 miles a day as I do with the MB 4x4 (21 mpg, turbo diesel) now so I'd like to know what kind of mileage to expect.

It doesn't sound like it has anything I really need, then. Thesubafreek, Would you have a phone number from that guy in Grass Valley? My address is broth@sanjuan.edu. Maybe I'll take a trip to Carson City one of these Saturdays. It's only about 1.25 hours from where I live. Where is the Pick n Pull? Is it near Home Depot?

Subafreek, Thanks a bunch. Very usefule info. Today I'm going to look at a 1990 Loyale turbo wagon for $400 as a possible donor. Would that be a 1.8 turbo? Only 110 hp? Would it have LSD? He said it has a button to activate 4WD. What does that imply? Rallyruss, Sorry but I don't know much about jobs in that industry. I do know we need an auto shop teacher at my school next year. A bachelor's degree in just about anything and some mechanic experience would do it, I think. Brian

The CA.gov website does say they subtract 29 years from the model year but I suppose it is not worth arguing about. I called the DMV last year ('03) and was told that '74's are exempt so it would make sense that '75's are this year. Unless they changed the way they are figuring it. Oh, well, I'll find out for sure before I make a purchase. Rallyruss, what kind of work do you do? Did you look up my profile to see that I am a high school math teacher? If you are a math teacher the answer is we hire someone new in my department almost every year. I do still need to know about the 2.2's and 2.5's. Which is better? What kind of fuel mileage would I expect from each? What are their hp ratings? Also, how do you tell a LSD from an open other than by what type of car it is in? Are they tagged? How about telling the ratio?

Last year I found out that the DMV was subtracting 29 years from the model year (or date of manufacture in the case of a car with no pink slip) to determine what is exempt. As of Jan 1st, 2003, 1974's are smog exempt. You can go to CA.gov or something like that and it will tell you. However, this year the info on that site seemed to be worded differently so I cannot say for sure that they are sticking to the model year - 29. I will find out for sure before I buy a 75 chassis. I am really a fanatic about this. I've failed too many smog checks with all the vehicles I've owned. I promised myself I'd never own a car that requires smog 2 years ago and have stuck to it so far. I won't even buy a 76 anticipating getting it on the road for '05 in case the legislature decides to stop advancing the year for exemption like they did back in '85 when they were going by 20 years old. If you find of anyone with a 75 4wd wagon let me know. I might be interested in that 78 for parts at some point but I need to acquire a 75 first to see what I've got. I've got an ad going in our local free paper called the "Gold Panner" saying I want one. It starts today. I'll see if I get any calls. Brian

I'm a bit overwhelmed with information at this point. Thanks for all the replies. Yes, that is my MB wagon. I tried to post a picture but kept getting a message that the file was too big. It is a 1981 300TD turbo. It is sitting on a 1984 Nissan 720 King Cab 4x4 chassis. The stock engine and tranny are coupled to the Nissan divorced transfer case with a 13" homemade driveshaft. I've got 20K miles on it since the conversion and it gets about 21 mpg. It does get a lot of looks. I had sort of hoped to ruffle the feathers of died in the wool MB faithfuls but most actually seem to like it. The people who drive new S classes don't notice it seems. I like it a lot but it is pretty slow with 120 hp and weighing about 4000 lbs. Thus the subaru conversion. I'm hoping to end up with about a 2500 lb. car with 150+ hp. What is the hp rating of a early 90's 2.2 EFI motor (sorry, don't know the numbers yet). What year did they start the 2.5 and what is their hp rating? That sexy brat is just the type of vehicle I want to end up with. Good on road handling, great snow traction but only needs to handle 6 in. or less of snow, big wheels, low pro tires, lots of hp but also 25 mpg or better. And, most importantly, smog exempt in California so it has to have a chassis older than 1976.