ChuckPT

What is the offset of the stock 13" wheels? I'm looking at the various options for wheel upgrades and was considering the VW5 to Subaru 4 x 140 offered by SJR. These would allow for the use of VW aftermarket wheels like THESE for $78 each. Other than not having to deal with redrilling wheels or hubs, are there any other benefits to this type of setup?

The only concern I see is if the suspension articulates too far it could cause damage to the CV joints...

I have an '82 Brat that I picked up recently and started fixing up. While I was replacing the struts I found that the sway bar connector on the passenger side was hanging. I was considering removing the sway bar altogether and was curious if people run without front sway bars on Brats?

"New" 14" Alloy Pugs for the Loyale!

Got some 'new' Peugeot wheels! 14" alloys from Craigslist. The tires that came on it are deffinately not cut out for the winter but I had to see what she'd look like and I think I like I used these washers from Moore Parts Hopefully they work, I haven't been able to find any stock Pug lugs but am still looking. In the mean time, if anyone has experience, good or bad, with these washers let me know!

Subscribed! Beautiful build..

I did some suspension upgrades today, front struts and top hats. The Gerber struts I got have proven to be shitty from out of the box. I had to grind the bottom perches in order to get them to fit over the strut. I am confused about the bottom mounting plates too, they seem to have some bolts that allow for ride adjustment. I've read a bit on here and have never heard of this, it was almost too good to be true, made me wonder why people dont talk about this option.

This is quite the epic restoration! I recently picked up an '82 brat up in Steamboat, got lots of work to do on it, look forward to seeing how this build goes!

I have been into subaru for a while. My first was an '02 WRX. I totaled it and got an '85 GL wagon (no photo). I then upgraded to my current '93 Loyale which is my daily driver. Most recently I got a BRAT for a project. The BRAT is a rust bucket but runs well, has only 157k on it and will be fun as a wheeler/ranch rig. I took a box of rivets and a stack of old license plates to the rusted out wheel well. I have plans for the rest of the rig but time and money are short. I will post as progress is made. In the mean time, a few questions: --Do these lug nuts: Here work for the peugeot 4x140 wheels? I'm considering buying some

Here are some pics of my new Quick N Easy rack. ~$70 for the uprights, ~$3 for the hardware and I had the lumber sitting around the house. Much cheeper that Yakima or Tule and feels pretty sturdy! Quick-N-Easy FTW!! My car before rack And with the upgrade

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=3200 Get these for half the price of the Yakima ones...

Wow! that is amazing! Pickup-Bob is one dedicated brat enthusiast! For starters I'll get the engine started. A few more questions: Why are so many conversions using the ej22? I found a '98 forester nearby, which I believe has the 2.5. What are the pros/cons of the ej25? I think I'll use the forester's (assuming this is the route I go) 5 speed making it symmetrical AWD which is different from the 4wd because all the drive lines are, well symmetrical correct? Does this mean that I'll have to use forester axles? Thanks again for any and all input!

I must first apologize for my ignorance and disclaim that I am a layman when it comes to the type of mechanical artristry that the USMB community displays. That being said I am hoping (with much help from my mechanic friend) to do an EJ implant into my '85 GL I have a good friend whose professional garage I will be using My real question however is regarding suspension: The GL and a late '90s legacy are both unibody constructed cars correct? So how difficult would it be to do a "frame off" swap where you transplant everything but the body onto the body of a GL? http://lh5.ggpht.com/_rM88Cszins4/TPlU9GVjylI/AAAAAAAAAeg/NNyez8nBrEo/s640/DSCF1084.JPG Now the hunt for parts cars I'm in Fort Collins, gonna be doing the work in Steamboat Springs if anyone in the area has input/suggestions For starts I'm gonna get the motor swapped, gL suspension, 13" aluminum wheels and have read that it is pretty easy to split open the trans and convert to 23 spline so to keep same axles & rear diff? Please any input is much appreciated.

so the spring mechanism that is designed to automatically engage the choke in cold weather has broken. Now I have to figure out if I can replace the automatic choke with a similar aftermarket one, or one off another subie, or if I should just go with a manual. Any input on which way to go is welcome.

So I lost my keys to my '85 gl wagon and figured it would be more expensive and troublesome to re-key it than it may be worth, and if I can just rub two wires together to fire it up, why not. Anyone know which two wires would do the trick? (And no, I am not a car thief, even though it might appear that way)

yeah, that process, but many times is required to get it started. Cranking, depressing gas (while making sure not to flood it), cranking more. I don't know if there could be fuel delivery problems, vacuum line problems somewhere or what. Anyone?

I realize that cold weather makes the start up more difficult but I have been having to hold the key in the start position,starter cranking, for several seconds, then back to off, then in start position again for several seconds, repeating this for a minute or more before the car will even fire up. It'll then sputter dead, and I have to let it crank for a while more, fire up, die. It starts eventually, after cranking for minutes. I remember it used to start up, and increase engine speed until the gas is depressed, it doesn't do this any more even after it does start. I am admittedly ignorant about carbs, etc, but would appreciate any input anyone can offer. Like the title says, it is an '85 GL with a 3 speed auto, I believe an ea82 but I am ready to stand corrected on this too. Help please!

So I have an '85 with the POS 3 speed auto so I need a swap of this kind. I am curious if anyone knows about the peddle assembly and if any cutting of the firewall would be needed to fit a clutch peddle? Thanks for any input available and congrats on the upgrade..

So obviously the width and diameter are up to what you're set up will be, what is the most desirable back spacing? I would like to do this conversion but want to keep the wheels/tires as narrow as possible, any suggestions?

I don't know what kind of market there is for lifting WRXs but if you want a R&D project, I may be willing to offer my car as a test subject... It has been totaled (just a bunch of body damage) and is currently sitting in a garage awaiting my next move.

I've got an '02 WRX. I have looked into lifting it a little and found that the forester stock struts are between 1.5-2" taller than stock wrx struts. I don't know compared to a legacy though.

Wow! I think this is the coolest suby i've seen yet:headbang: Did you change the wheel base? Lets see some more pics too!

Wow, great responses! Thanks for all the input. I did just get the car and haven't checked any of the fluids or anything so I'm sure that they could all use a change. I plan on going with a DR 5 speed some day in the future....Lift....engine swap....Always being tickled by the mod bug;)

So I recently bought an '85 GL wagon. It has the three speed pushbutton 4wd and a carbed 1.8l. I drove it from Bozeman to Denver (usually ~10 hour drive) last weekend and was slightly disappointed. Obviously a three speed tranny will only go so fast, and these engines are relatively gutless but I was expecting a little better MPGs! I was driving as fast as the car would do (about 75 with down hills faster/up hill slow) and was shocked to get only around 16.5 MPGs! Drove it a little more conservative on the way home, keeping the engine speed under 4k and still only got a little over 20mpgs. I would like to do an engine swap some day and was curious what combo gets the best MPGs. obviously this varies with tire size, driving style and many other variables so if you could include some specs on what you are running, that'd help!