s'ko

I just heard on the radio driving in that they lost 200 homes in Lake Arrowhead and there is a mandatory evacuation of Big Bear. Not going to affect our trip in Jan but it might look like the Ardennes after the Battle of the Bulge. Besides, its those rich foo foo people w/their H2 that live in the hills and other secluded communities that are getting burned. BW

So since there seems to be a whole bunch of USMB members in the Los Angeles area now, let's get together and do a Big Bear trip. There are two choices. One is to meet up and cruise up on the highway together and maybe go tubing and stuff, or we can take some of the back roads to the lake. Back roads will take about 3 hours to do but it is well worth it. I am thinking of January or so b/c my end of the year schedule is already looking crazy. BW

Here is what I have learned from my EJ18 BRAT project. The OBD1 system is the easiest to retro-fit into the 80's cars. You need to get a good harness diagram and just start tracing. I am using the 4sp D/R tranny w/no problems. Granted this is a 110 HP motor so the extra 30 might cause problems. in terms of your lift blocks and extensions, it really depends on your skill level. I have a welder and I was unemployed at the time so I did it myself. The lift design is pretty simple to do. If you make your own, remember that the rear doesn't need to be as tall as the front. So you can get away with 4 inch front blocks and 3 inch rears. Since you are doing a lift and you want power steering. Get a ea82 crossmember w/power steering and use that instead of your stock 81's. The lift blocks will have to serve as adapters for the crossmember. The mounting points will be off-set b/c the EA81 is narrower than the EA82. I have alittle over 2k on my swap and no problems. For brake lines, I got some longer hard lines and some adapters from NAPA. I didn’t have to change the E-brake, throttle or clutch cables. The radiator was interesting. I initially wanted to get a pre-bent one the looked right, but I had a lot of trouble finding one. I ended up getting cutting the hose that I got and using some old exhaust tubing to join them. Basically, I used the rubber hoses to get the bends that I needed and the metal tubing to connect the two. Your stock EA81 radiator should be fine for cooling the system. I have it set up w/one electric fan on the driver’s side that is on all of the time. I have had it idle for 40 mins or so w/o overheating. Another thing about the radiator is that the EA81 hoses are smaller in diameter than the EJ hoses. I took an old EA81 hose and used it as a spacer for the larger hose. It seems to work for me, but others have had trouble getting a good seal. Shoot me a PM if you need further help. BW

That's when you take out that mag light and bash it. I almost rear ended a stupid Prius that slammed on it's brakes for a possum. I guess I should have expected the tree hugger to do something like that. BW

well. Spent a few hours stripping the harness and getting all of the ECU wires apart from the chassis harness. I am 80% done. Ran into a slight snag with the entire project that might force abandonment b/c the wife is not pleased w/having a 4th car. She said that if we do keep a 4th car it is going to be something that she likes. Unfortunately, she doesn't like soobies. She really wants to get a classic car, but that's mucho dinero there... will keep everyone posted with how that works out. BW

yep it was me. If it was in that area I was headed towards the new Impreza Drive the Legend event. If you are looking to do the D/R 5 speed swap, Scottf has all of the bits. He has a turbo BRAT that he's getting rid of and he was a D/R 5spd w/all of the components needed. I think there is less than 80K on the tranny. He lives in Santa Ana. It's cool that you live in Pasadena, I might be getting a job in that area or nearby. (I hope to know by the end of the week.) Will PM you w/my contact info. I have a bunch of parts that you can have if you need them. Anywho welcome to the Club. Looks like there soon will be enough SOCAL members to do a respectable meet. BW

I don't think ARB makes lockers for the R180. If you go to their site and look at their application catalog. The R200 has a ARB part number but the R180 says NA. that sucks... looks like we will have.... __ BW

I had a cv joint slip of the axle shaft. It just spun around and the BRAT didn't go anywhere b/c of the open diff. Look into the d/r shifters first and then look at the axle. A lot easier than ripping things apart.

Appreciate all of the comments... Moving tranny mounts and such to replace a busted axles is a bit of an over kill. My main question was where this is possible w/o jacking up the vehicle. I have a one car garage and the RX is sitting in there all snug and warn. I live in an apartment so there is no place to work on it. I was trying to not have to lug my floor jack and jack stand into the street and work on it there. Looks like I will have to either move the RX or go to a friend's house to do the axle. Thank goodness for 4wd bw

Harbor Freight sells some dark blue nitrite gloves that I swear by. I am pretty rough on gloves and they will easily last me a long time. BW

so basically what everyone is telling me is I have to got off of my lazy gluteous maximus and jack the BRAT up to get it done. OK. Thanks BW

I need to replace the front axle on my BRAT. Right now the RX is resting comfortably in the garage and I might have to do this on the street. Can I do it w/o jacking up the car or does all pressure have to be off of the axle to remove it? BW

I have the RX minus engine w/complete exhaust system. Will the EA82T radiator be enough to keep things cool? also is there a turbo gauge or boost sensor on the EJ22T ECU? I wasn't able to find one on the diagram that I have. I will keep your all posted about the progress. BW

can you have them make a mold for a huge bathtub... say the side of a subie??

thanks for the input. just wanted to kick it around before I hack it out of the harness. BW

legacy went the way of the dodo.. all I have are the harness, engine, ecus and other engine bits. BW just testing the feasibility. I think that I will keep the ABS portion of the harness when I swap it in so i can add it in the future. BW

So I am getting a complete harness from a 1992 Legacy. It will include the ABS computer. So what will it take to install ABS onto the RX. I know that I will have to figure out how to get sensors onto the axles. But other than that what else is needed in terms of the brake line plumbing? Once I get the sensors worked out. Would I just get a ABS pump unit and hook the brake lines up to it? Did any EA82 cars come w/ABS? BW

with XT6 clutch it should be ok. Paeco industries makes kevlar clutches w/heavy duty PP for EA82 cars for less than 400. USDM WRX motors would be ODB2 and thus more sensors to install. Otherwise the concept is still the same. The key is to get a nice set of wiring diagrams for the EJ ECU and thin out the harness accordingly. BW

I just found that Sumitomo makes a 13 inch tire that is 205/60/13 and 215/50/13. Is 215 too wide for the stock EA wheel?

Unfortunately... it's rust. Been a busy weekend so no playing with the King. Getting my garage cleared up so I can work in there.

Want some EA81 parts to use as spares. just pay for shipping and you can have them. pretty much the entire engine, minus the lifters. BW

Reminds me of the infamous nicky nighteyes floating soob pic

Well I got yet another one. This one is only appreciated by Soobaphiles.... 1987 white RX. (yep it's Rally Russ' RX) Here are some rough pictures. a bit rough but body is straight and the interior is not trashed for a 20 y/o car. It's also only got 120000 on the ticker. EJ swap soon to come. BW

Brand new to me RX... 120036

Nice.... Looks awesome. hmm.. I have a spare EA81 sitting in my garage.... I would abandon the XT air strut system and go with real shocks or maybe some rally struts.