Numbchux

I wonder what the reason for that link being so much shorter is. Seems like it would change toe and/or camber through the range of travel. I'm curious to see how that change would effect the way the car handles.

FYI, the adapter plate with work to fairly easily adapt an EJ engine to an EA transmission. It will not work the other way around. It could be done, but it would require a custom flywheel to take up the extra depth. The 6MT is roughly the same size as the 4EAT transmission. In '87.5, the EA82 transmission tunnel got bigger to accommodate that. It will easily fit in the newer EA82s, it's been done in the early EA82s, but at the very least requires a spacer to lower the transmission in the tunnel (but that's not ideal for driveline angles). It's been done in EA81s, but AFAIK only with tunnel modification. Anything is possible with enough money and fabrication. But far from bolt-on. Also absolutely zero reason for it unless you've done the engine swap (no '80s engine can produce enough power to require the strength), and other driveline modifications.

We tried to buy a used shaft a couple times when I worked at the Subaru dealership here, and it always took several tries to get one that was even acceptable (thank goodness we had a great relationship with a great junkyard). So yea, I think that's very much regional. We saw many joint failures, and several of them were catastrophic. Carrier bearing failures were VERY rare by comparison. Yes, this probably falls under the DIYer category, and doesn't generally make sense to pay shop labor. There are 2 driveline shops here in town (not a big town, so I assume there are places like this all around the country) that will replace the carrier bearing and both joints for about $250 with a day turnaround. Not to mention new aftermarket shafts, etc. Although, with better tools, I think I could do one in less than 30 minutes, parts cost is less than $20 ea, you could make money. But, for a guy who has a press (Mine is a ~$80 Harbor Freight one, I've done countless wheel bearings, suspension bushings, etc.), a few hours over the weekend might make more sense.

Yea, that got kind of buried in there. There's a link there to the Rockford Driveline application list, which shows their number as 430-10. Good point on the number of joints. Around 2000, Subaru replaced the center U-joint with a DOJ. So those models only require 2, but the older ones require a 3rd in the center.

I've done 3 joints in the last year or so. One on an '04 Outback, and the other a '00 Outback. Process should be the same for basically all Subarus. We've tried used ones here, most of them have worn joints...not worth the install time IMHO.Dorman makes an aftermarket shaft, same part number for '96-'04 Outback AT. I fished a donor shaft out of the scrap bin here at work with bad joints that came from an '07 4EAT Outback. I've measured it, and held it up under my car, and it looks like it should work, at least temporarily (front half was hardest to measure, looks like it might be a hair short, but I'm not worried about the slip yoke having a little less engagement for street use for a week).Rockford offers joints specifically to replace the staked in applications. Here's their application list for the 430-10 part (the Justy is the only Subaru found elsewhere in their list).http://www.rockforddriveline.com/media/documents/Vehicle_Fitment_430-10.pdfYou may notice it lists Legacy/Outback 1990-2009.Using parts interchange listings, and trying other vehicles on that list, I came up with a few other part numbers. Napa lists a UJ10430, although there was no availability. Autozone lists a 2-0430DL, of which they had 4 in their Hub store across town. I now have 2 of those sitting on my desk (they are greasable, btw). 1. The joint before I started, you can see some of the 8 little "stakes" being deformations in the outer yoke holding the caps in. 20180827_192114 by Numbchux, on Flickr I've seen 2 ways to do staked in joints (generally, not specifically Subaru), one is to grind the stakes out, and the other is to just use a press to push through them. In my experimenting on other shafts, it takes an enormous amount of force (easily the most I've ever done on my little 12 ton HF press), so I opted to grind first. High speed metal cutting bit on the dremel does a pretty good work down in the corners. 20180827_192401 by Numbchux, on Flickr While I had it out, I used the dremel to make a few light marks on the yoke and the shaft itself to ensure the orientation when it came time to reassemble. 20180827_192552 by Numbchux, on Flickr 2. Then over to the press, make sure to support the other end of the shaft pretty well. 20180827_192748 by Numbchux, on Flickr 3. Once it's pressed off to one side, the stakes become really clear (some of these are ground down, some are un-touched). 20180827_192926 by Numbchux, on Flickr 4. Flip it over and press it back all the way through to flatten those stakes. Then lay it with the opposite yokes supported (a vice works best for this), and pound on the yoke so those cups can be pushed out beyond the ears. Don't pound on the thin part at the top of the ears, and don't pound on the shaft tubing itself. 20180827_193255 by Numbchux, on Flickr 5. Flip over and repeat the other way until those cups are pushed as far out of the yoke as possible. It should get to the point where the cross of the ujoint can be removed from the yoke (if those cups are damaged, you might need to sneak a punch passed the cross to push the cup out further, just make sure not to damage the yoke). 20180827_193408 by Numbchux, on Flickr 6. Then pound the cups out the rest of the way: 20180827_193515 by Numbchux, on Flickr Rotate the shaft 90*, and repeat steps 1-6 to remove the other 2 caps, and remove the joint completely. 7. Now switch to a softer dremel bit (wire wheel or sanding drum work well) to clean up the inside of the yoke, you want to smooth everything out without taking off really any material. You'll also want to run a flat file across the inner surface of those ears, as the new joints will be held in place by snaprings against this surface. 20180827_195537 by Numbchux, on Flickr 8. Now to start preparing the new joint. The four cups need to be removed from the center cross, inside those cups are needle bearings which have to stay in place, and the only thing holding them there is grease. They *should* be pregreased with assembly lube for this purpose, but I don't trust it, so I hold the caps in place by hand and gently pump some fresh grease through them: 20180827_194557 by Numbchux, on Flickr 9. Then pull the caps off. You'll notice I removed the grease zerk from the one cap to protect it from damage, this is optional, but IMHO a good idea. 20180827_194833 by Numbchux, on Flickr 10. Put the cross in the middle of the yoke, and one of the caps in from the outside. You want to hold the cross inside the cap as tight as possible as you press on it to help keep those needle bearings in place. 20180827_194903 by Numbchux, on Flickr 11. Then press it in well past it's final resting place. This simplifies putting on that snapring, and aligning the opposing cup. 20180827_201328 by Numbchux, on Flickr 12. Put the snapring on the one cup, then put the opposite cup from the other side, and again slide the cross into the new cup as you press it in. This is a bit tricky, as you have to get it pressed in far enough to get the second snapring on, but you don't want to put too much pressure on the bearings to damage them (although, the cross should bottom out in the cups before the needle bearings bear the brunt of the weight) Back to step 10 to finish the other half of the joint, taking care to reassemble in the same orientation that you started with. Install the grease zerk (if you removed it), and grease. 20180827_203215 by Numbchux, on Flickr Now flip the shaft and do it all again at the other end. Install in the car, and enjoy!

That's fantastic. Hat tip to you for thinking out of the box, and getting it done. I'm adding this to the Retrofitting FAQ.

Punctuation is cool. I'd love to help, but I have no idea wtf you're asking.

What engine? That's a lot of money! Front LSDs are available from many companies, and typically run about $1k for a new one, plus install. Those transmissions find there way over here all the time, but they can be tricky to get your hands on as frequently people don't even know what they are, so the price can vary substantially. But it still puts you paying 1500-2k for the engine....so it better have a turbo on it. What do you plan to use the car for?

Your car doesn't have the programming for any sort of sport mode. So no, you can't add a button that will do anything.

I have all 3 generations of Subaru H6. I have several other Subarus (EA81, but nothing older), but I was focusing on the '6s for this discussion.

3rd and 4th gens use the same splines at the hub (I just put a 4th gen rear hub assembly in my 3rd gen), but they are different from every other Subaru. As such, there is no off-the-shelf option to put an r180 in a '00-'09 Outback. It's not a huge deal, and looks like it's going to work just fine for your use. But I'm just brainstorming for anyone in the future that might be thinking about this (as it's a really good idea), starting with like a '08+ Impreza hub assembly would probably give more options for axles. Very cool! Many years ago, ADAMNDJ started acquiring parts to try to graft Nissan truck front knuckles onto the trailing arms of his Brat, but I don't think it ever got finished.

Pretty cool. Would have been nice to use newer hub assemblies, as the '00-'09 Leg/OBK have a unique outer spline count, so you're sort of limited on axle options. I'd be nervous about getting it perfectly square, or is there enough flange contact to not have to worry about that too much?

Yep. Too bad they're all cores.... These ones work just fine, though 20180610_132310 by Numbchux, on Flickr I might have a problem. Thank Bob my wife doesn't mind.

Yes, EG33 has been done many times. And the process is almost the same as on 2nd gen Legacies and 1st gen Imprezas. Which has been done hundreds of times, easily. EG33 is very large. Radiator does have to be moved forward. I've seen the core support and latch chucked, and switch to hood pins. I've seen the radiator pushed in front of the latch (couple times with the stock SVX radiator, which sticks through the grill), or a shorter one down in the bumper like an Intercooler. EZ30 is only like 1.5" longer than an EJ, and will fit with the radiator in stock position with thin fans. I took these pictures last fall. EG33, first gen EZ30, second gen EZ30 (commonly referred to as an EZ30R, even though it's technically still an EZ30D). Obviously not super accurate comparison, but just look at the valve cover. And this EG33 has the timing cover smashed, so it looks smaller than it is. 20180816_201020 by Numbchux, on Flickr 20180816_201040 by Numbchux, on Flickr

1. I have LOVED my '00-'04 Outbacks, when the 2 that my wife and I are driving fail, I will replace them with others. I love the way the '05-'09 ones drive, but with Immobilizers, and CAN systems, they become more difficult for a DIYer to modify/maintain, so I'm hesitant to make that step at this point. 2. CVT, specifically? My mom has a 2012 Impreza with one, and I don't mind driving it, but I'd still prefer a manual. Automatic in general? Yes, when towing, rowing gears gets old, and on the rocks, unless you've got about a 250:1 crawl ratio, clutch pedal is a pain. I'll take an auto every day. But for a spirited drive on an open road, manual is the only way to go. 3. I'm not a one-brand person, either. But my preferences on vintages are about the same, Toyota and Honda started using Immobilizers much sooner than Subaru, for example.