Numbchux

also false. The EA82t has a .871 5th gear, compared to the EA82/EJ .780 5th. So final drives in 5th are as follows. EA82t: 3.227, EA82: 3.042, 4.111 EJ: 3.206. Despite having the tallest axle ratio of any of those options, the EA82t 5th gear makes it the worst option (shortest gear=highest rpm) for freeway use. And, since they all use a 3.545 first gear, that means with the 3.7 axle ratio, the EA82t also has the worst option at low speed. Words can't describe how horrendously disappointed I was when I first drove the FrankenWagon with the EJ22 and RX trans combo. Crappy gearing, and lots of front tire spin on the AutoX course from the open center diff. I was not aware, however, of the difference between a FWD and 4WD EA81 trans tunnels. That sucks....

not really. you'd still have the goofy EA82t gearing, and an open center diff! You'd have the better clutch, but with an EJ22, an XT6 clutch would be just fine.

for the amount of fabrication that would be required to stuff a 6-speed into an EA81 trans tunnel. And we already know he's just using an EJ22. No, 6-speed would just be a giant waste of money.

No. The FT4WD center diff is terrible on the street (open=spinning front tire). and EA82t gearing sucks (tall first gear and short 5th....who came up with that idea!?). You'll be VERY disappointed if you go this route......ask me how I know only way to go, is an EJ box. Get a 4.111 5MT (most common in first-gen, '90-94 legacies), the VLSD center diff will give you the best handling and traction, 4.111 axle ratios will give you some nice torque at low speed, and the 1-5 gears are perfectly matched to the EJ22.

Ah, a good 2.5" taller than stock. So you've really got just under 3" of lift. That should be within the tolerances of the axles. But only just. Keep us in the loop. 2* is a big change for a DOJ, especially if you spend time on the freeway.

Ah, so that's measured from the ground, counting the added height of the larger tires? What size tires are they?

how did you measure the 4" difference? with only a 1" block, that would mean you gained 3" from the forester struts alone? That sounds like a lot....

the plugs at the necessary sensors are the same, so if you get your hands on the engine harness from an OBD II engine you should be able to swap that over and then it should all plug right in.

'83 would be an EA81. Fairly different design (good thing though). the Ea81 doesn't have timing belts. it's pushrod, OHV, with a single gear-driven cam in the center. Much simpler, which makes it typically more reliable. It is definitely possible to swap the intake manifold and sensors over from your EA82 to have a Fuel-injected EA81 in your loyale. General_Disorder did an EXCELLENT write-up about putting Ea82 SPFI control system into an EA81 car. it can be found here: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html Now, keep in mind, the vast majority of that writeup talks about putting the ECU and wiring from an EA82 into an EA81 body car, which is not applicable in your case. You pretty much just need to check out the sections on the intake manifold and distributor modifications, which aren't too difficult.

that was with a 5-lug swap. the connection between the strut and a 4-lug EA knuckle is the biggest challenge, and he had EJ knuckles. COMPLETELY different.

define: "older 1.8l carbureted" You mean, early EA82? or EA81? both are possible, but a fairly different project.

if EA81 rod ends are too short, grab some for an XT6 or EJ. Same thread pitch and taper, just longer. I used them for a bit on my Ea82, but even with the tie rod bottomed out in the rod end, I had positive toe..... Miles, 2000 saw the change to multilink rear suspension in the legacy, and 2008 for the impreza, but the stock shocks are similar at best to EA82s. The Tein coilover kits that are almost a bolt-on installation on an Ea82 are valved for an '05+. Also, for inner seal part #s to mix and match EJ/ER knuckles/axles: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=836218&postcount=20 http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=840456&postcount=23

'95 is OBD II for the 2.2s. I have no idea why....but it's definitely true.

an EA81 uses a plain-jane shock absorber in the rear. measure the length, and order up your preference. We used some Rough Country units in a 4" lifted brat a couple years ago. DRASTICALLY improved travel.....but pretty low-end shocks if you plan to have any speed over the rough stuff. You'd be better off with some Foxs or Bilsteins. the front is where you run into a challenge. KYB is probably your best option (only due to an entire lack of competition) there for 100% interchangeable strut assemblies. You might be able to find some Koni or similar inserts that would work with the stock housings.

Agreed! But TP leaving doesn't change that. In fact, quite to the contrary...with Pastrana, Block, and L'estage officially not competing next year, there's a real chance that someone "new" is going to win it. That was a big reason why we were trying to make a push for nationals.....although we weren't able to come up with enough sponsor dollars to make it happen. maybe next year. Maybe a Super Production car? Also, I don't know anything about him, but it seems that David Higgins (SRTUSAs second driver for next year) has the credentials to do very well. Not to mention the 2WDs. Dillon van Way and Chris Duplessis both have new cars. Chris Greenhouse is always a hoot to watch in that poor old Neon. And I'm anxious to see who (if anyone ) tries to compete in the Fiesta cup. Unfortunately, I'm sure the loss of those big names will lead to the loss of a lot of spectators, which makes these events financially even more difficult. We don't need Pastrana to have fun in the woods.

speedometer is mechanical, and was for much of the '90s. So no, the VSS wasn't for the gauge. You'll probably have issues if it's an OBD II ECU if you don't have a VSS. some EA81s (don't ask me which ones....I don't know...) already have the VSS in the cluster though, just a matter of hooking up the signal wire.

EA81 rod ends work just fine. and are shorter than the EJ/ER stuff so you can get your alignment correct.

?? only in the front, and only if you've got a 5-lug swap. AFAIK, Noah is the only person who's done it, and he had issues.

Doesn't sound like a mechanical thing. More like a misfire under load. Could be caused by a lot of things, but an ignition problem would be most likely. start by checking the ignition timing. Then inspect and replace as necessary: plugs, wires, cap, and rotor.

stock turbo compression, and stock boost on an EA82t does not require high octane. The biggest factor is ignition timing. Higher octane fuel burns slower. so if you're tuned for 87, and run 91, it'll burn later, which can be a problem (and vice versa). So no, do not just run the "best" available. Use what it's designed to use. As far as I know, stock timing is designed for low octane, but I'm not 100% sure. The FSM has separate specifications for all engine types that year (SPFI, MPFI, MPFI Turbo), but only one section for fuel, where it says 87.

Really? This was COMPLETELY predictable. I mean seriously, he gave up the National Championship last year to go to Australia with the Nitro Circus crew. Pastrana wasn't getting much competition here in the US. Really, there was a point last year where his speed factor was like 104, which theoretically isn't even possible. He is not a die-hard rally guy, he's a motorsports guy. And his life is sponsored by Red Bull. Let's assume he's not going to leave them, so what's the next step? WRC? Red-bull already has Sebastian Loeb. Dakar? Carlos Sainz. And Subaru isn't in WRC at all....so he'd have to completely change teams, only to play backup to a much more famous (and possibly better...) driver. The NASCAR redbull teams are not doing that great. Pastrana has said he's dreamed of driving for NASCAR his whole life. Also, driving for NASCAR is a totally different thing than watching a bit on TV. it may only be left turns, but at 200mph.....yea. I even have a greater respect for it just playing a bit on GT5. I was kind of expecting him to do some Monster Jam racing. But apparently his dabbling in that over the last couple years didn't spark his interest.

yes, the angle of the control arms will create a problem with alignment. But, the CV angle, will make for very quick axle destruction. Anything beyond 2" is a recipe for problems there.

yes, whatever height blocks you have on the front xmember will need to be installed in the rear xmember.

the rpm thing doesn't really make sense. but Subaru Speedo's tend to read high....so that might be it. if you didn't have to swap axles, it's definitely a turbo transmission. And the only combination of turbo, PT4WD, and D/R was the '85-'86 RX. So yea, it's a 3.7. Also, that means it's a 1.19:1 low range and not the 1.59 of the non-turbo cars.

It's a project, but even then, I think my first one only took a couple hours. The last time I swapped transmission internals (way more than just diff stubs), it was only like 45 minutes. some pictures. My thread, talks more about mixing and matching internals. But a few pictures of the transmission apart: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=106668 and The Beast I Drive started making a hybrid trans awhile ago. I don't know if anything ever came of it, but he's got some great pictures of the teardown. The tailhousings will be different, but the XT6 one (FT4WD, single range) will be closest to the EJ design. You can't see it in any of the pictures, but on the shifter rod inside the tailhousing, there's a 10mm set-bolt that has to be removed first. Otherwise you'll have a hell of a time getting it all apart. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=106140