Numbchux

absolutely awesome idea. love the train of thought. lubrication is AN issue, but I don't think it's THE issue. I just don't think there's a way to get it to spin the right way in that case.

lots of debate of whether it will work or not. but it seems the only one of those posts by someone who's tried includes pictures of it done: http://subaruxt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2089&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=90 SVX uses an r160 VLSD. I agree, I do prefer the clutch-type, but if that isn't available, a VLSD > open every day of the week. and a welded diff isn't for everyone either. you'll need to swap the SVX inner DOJ cups onto the EA shafts. I've heard the XT6 shafts are larger in diameter than other EAs, so in an EA81, you might need custom races. but even that is peanuts compared to trying to get your hands on an EA82 LSD. I plan on putting an SVX rear LSD in one of my EAs this spring. I'll include pics of it as well.

click the link to the EJ-specific page. EJ22t and EJ22k are both listed. I've submitted numerous changes/corrections to that page.

I don't use the stock relay/wiring/fans. just the one wire from the ECU to control a standard relay. it's exactly the same to wire in as your controller, except it doesn't need to be mounted anywhere. and it can't fail (I used a couple of those underhood controllers, and the road grime caused them to fail).

alright...you got my gears turning so I went downstairs. hmmm....look at that, an empty r160 case, and a ring gear sitting right next to it from my last LSD conversion. first thing, the bolt pattern for the rear cover definitely is symmetrical. so you really could just throw it on upside-down. but, the pinion gear is off center, in both dimensions. obviously it's near the bottom of the case (presumably why you want to flip it), but it's also off to the right side. so, putting the ring gear on the other side would mean the helical cut on the gears would be the wrong way around. but also the center of the pinion shaft would line up about where the back of the ring gear would be... I don't think it would work, even with a custom-made gearset. cool idea, but looking at it, I just don't see a way it would work (boy.....I wonder where I put my camera.....)

have you looked at, oh, any of the EJ swap threads? yea. the EJ engine is a bit longer than the EA, so there is no longer quite enough room between it and the radiator.

wouldn't flipping the diff upside-down make it turn the other way? unless you've got a tcase that reverses the rear output direction (I've never heard of one...). also, you'd have to either flip the rear cover upside-down (might be just that easy, I don't remember how symmetrical the cover is), or relocate the breather. planning on leaving it IRS as well?

you should cut another 1/2" or so off one of the ends of the upper radiator hose. as it's kinked just a hair. radiator fan controller was entirely unnecessary, as the harness will have an ECU controlled relay in it. a manual override would be very easy.

that's what WJM used on his RX as well. *in theory* the 00-04 ones should work as well. but the 05+ are the only ones that have been used.

the front air struts hold air just fine. so they will stay for now. I'm not swapping to an EJ engine, just struts/knuckles/bearings/brakes/axles. it will get coils in the front then.

ProECM lightweight crank pulley I picked up from kingbobdole... threw the 15" steelies and Blizzak Revo1s from the wagon on it and took it ice racing a few weeks ago. more pics in the rally/racing section. which was the last coffin nail in the rear air suspension. it was drastically sagged for the trip home, and only made it about 2 more days before it was bottomed out completely. spent a day trying to jumper the solenoids and such to put air in them, without luck: that black connector under the fuel lines is the check connector where the signal wires for the individual solenoids are. jumpered to open one of the rears: the connector under the fuse box, jumpered to open the air charge solenoid: I was entirely unsuccessful.....so I got a few boxes over the last week or so: 4WD EA82 GR2s (which come with new upper bushings), 2.5" x 12" 250 lb/in Eibach springs from Ground-Control. should make for a nice firm ride, and match up well with some outback struts when I go EJ in the front. also got a couple boxes from Rock Auto. including 6 NGK v-power plugs, Bosch plug wires, and a Beck/Arnley 02 sensor.

you do NOT need to drop the rear diff to get the axle off. just unbolt the shock from the control arm, and pry it down. that will give you enough play to pull it off the stub. the project is fairly involved. especially if you're in a part of the world where rust is an issue. the bearing retainer can be removed without the tool, but can also ruin your day if it doesn't want to. the pin socket and an impact wrench makes it a 7 second project. I'll never do it again without. if yours has the one-piece outer race (your new bearing probably does...), it'll come out pretty easy. if it's the 3-piece, the last piece to come out is pretty narrow, make absolute sure it comes out straight, or it can get jammed. an air hammer can also come in handy. other than that, pull the axle, and brakes. unscrew the retainer from the backside of the control arm. give a few taps on the end of the spindle to separate the 2 halves of the inner race. a bench vice can be a big help when getting the other half off the spindle. get the outer race out (the inner race, bearings and a large socket work well). then re-assemble.

oh yea, seen a couple '80s Toyotas up at the ORV park here in MN crawling with stock motors and 200+:1 crawl ratios. it's something else to see a rig going to through some gnarly rock crawl with his left foot hanging out the door (gearing is so low....don't even need to touch the clutch pedal).

definitely start small, take little bites off it. you're still ahead of me. going on 2.5 years that I've owned my 4Runner.....and I've never driven it beyond the end of the alley. how's that for motivation in other news. an EJ22 with an EA82 radiator will not overheat that easily. a second fan is a band-aid. maybe your piping is the cause...maybe it's something else. the fan on my wagon doesn't get used almost ever. regardless of temperature (even in the summer), as long as I'm moving more than ~30mph, it stays cool. period. I say cross that one off your list, at least until you've put a new tstat in there and fixed the radiator hoses. neither project is very big or hard. that'd be a good place to start. and not having it overheat is a good motivation to drive it!!

naw, the DL lights look awesome on an offroader. but I don't think they really work on a lowered car. I wanted a set so bad for my old blue '88 wagon. but hvae no desire to do that to the Frankenwagon.

played with a couple filters.....found something that gives it a little more definition kind of like the reflection off a glossy finish would. but most of that depends on how much reflection there is in the original paint job/picture.

side-by-side I think that's fairly close....other thoughts/ideas?

I agree, it's too light. working on darkening it. I've also added a gradient layer so it isn't so much lighter on the front fender. and a mask over the rear bumper so it's the same shade as the rest of the body.... will post another version in a few minutes

I've been tinkering with it. got a decent mask of the body done. then some "body work" to get it all one color without loosing the definition of the body lines. I'll keep working on it. EDIT: removed some of the other imperfections in the body. did the black hood and started on the orange body. I'll have to play with it some more to get it the same color...but here's an idea:

it looks like there might be a red decal on the lower part of the door and just behind it. if so, it probably says "4WD Turbo", or something to that effect. or it's just rust.....:-\

I highly doubt the tribeca stuff is any longer than outback stuff. do you have outback springs on there too? those will yield a bit of lift as well.

hmmm...the ford pump plugged right into lines on the '86. all I had to do was throw a couple real screw-on clamps on there. might have been a fluke with the ford pump though. that pump came with all brass fittings, so I'd assume they're safe to run fuel through

nope, it plugs right in. but the stock radio has a pigtail that it plugs into, so the stock wire is not long enough to reach an aftermarket deck. but re-routing the cable through the dash instead of under the carpet solves.

hard to say.....yea, normal wear will cause some metal flaking. but enough to actually collect in the oil pan? when I pulled the pan on my 250k mile EJ22, there was no sign of any metal in the oil. *could* be a sign of something worse. the engine might be fine for quite a while. hard to say.

haha, street beat. that's where one of our members (wow....can't even remember his name now. been so long since I've seen him around) got the ragtop he had in his lifted wagon. anyway. $1k is a pretty darn good price for a setup like you're talking, and I HIGHLY doubt that ones strong enough to hold up to more than a few minutes of rally abuse. although I don't see that big airbag fitting in the rear wheel well of a brat.... also, the shocks have nothing to do with ride height in the back. it's all in the torsion bars. you could add a helper of some sort, but something designed to hold up the weight of a car is going to be far too stiff in addition to the torsion bar.