Numbchux

was playin in a poorly plowed parking lot after work last night (~3am). decided to prop the camera up and take a few videos.....edited down a bit...and got this:

sweet! how'd you pull that off?

holy crap, you're a genius!! indeed. while we're discussing modifying stock hubs. have just the rears modified for 5x100. and then ream out the ball joint holes....and then you're set for 5-lug using zero XT6 parts. sure, you don't get the larger '6 rear brakes, but you can put whatever your heart desires on the front. and better suspension too!

if you're relying that heavily on the rear mount...something else is wrong. I've been driving my car for a year+ without it.....it's only to hold up the back of the linkage.

I believe I've heard that swapping axle cups is pretty simple....as long as you have 2 pairs of donor axles. swapping stubs is also pretty simple, except the splitting the tranny case part...

I wouldn't...for many reasons. most have been mentioned, gearing, turning radius, you'd have to beat the living crap out of the firewall, gearing, etc.

if you're talking about the wire that gives the ECU 12v+ while cranking, then no. that just changes the enrichment settings to allow it to start easier...the car will still start without it (it'll just crank a lot in colder weather). ok, but it's OBD I legacy wiring....yes? if the ECU is coming on, and there are no codes (are you sure? I find it hard to believe it's not running and has nothing to say), it's probably something simple. Double check all the plugs (the ones from the bulkhead harness to the engine harness, the SMJ, the ignitor, cam/crank angle sensors, etc.). When I do my OBD I harnesses, I splice the coil into the same power source as the ECU etc. within the harness. I don't know if cutting right to the alt wire will cause problems or not. then start checking for power everywhere there should be (ign coil, igniter, injectors, etc.). also might want to pull a fuel rail, and crank it over a bit, to see if the injectors are firing. I'm thinking it's either something just doesn't have power (igniter or coil, although I believe the igniter would throw a code), or, you're crank/cam sensors aren't working/plugged in, so it's not even trying to run.

first question to ask, is if the ECU is working properly. and the best way to tell this, is if it turns the fuel pump on for a moment when you turn the ignition on. I was convinced all summer (not this past summer...but the year before) that my car just didn't have spark. but I had 'hotwired' the fuel pump on (ECU was not controlling it), so the only symptom I noticed was that it didn't have spark. but the problem was much deeper than that. if your ECU is not turning on the fuel pump relay, and it is wired correctly, than it's not getting power and ground everywhere that it should. go through the harness, wire by wire, and double check all of these wires. then, if the ECU is powering up correctly, it will turn on the fuel pump. if you're getting this far, and it isn't starting, it's a sensor (or wiring to a sensor) problem. good news is that the ECU can tell you what's wrong with it. connect the read mode jumpers, and read any CEL codes it might have. as for checking for power at the coil. there are 3 wires at the coil, the middle (Yellow) one should get 12v power anytime the ignition is on. also, what was the engine donor? helps to know exactly what system we're dealing with

agreed....and wheel selection would be the last on a list of reasons why (better brakes, suspension, axles, etc. etc. etc.)

yep, '96 and earlier are non-interference.... '90-'94 Legacies use an OBD I electrical system which is much simpler. requires fewer sensors etc. I used a '92 legacy for my loyale, and am using a '96 imp on my current project. I much prefer the OBD I setup!

OK, I did get a chance to talk to him this weekend. they don't have the equipment (yet?) to do braided lines. but I think there are already suppliers for those (I had a set on one of my lifted wagons...). we discussed intake mani stuff, but I had forgotten that the coolant circulates through the mani before I posted this. so just a phenolic spacer wouldn't be adequate. and they don't have the equipment to be machining blocks to divert it (again....yet?). but if/when that happens, a setup compatible with both the EA81 and SPFI/Carb EA82 will be pretty soon behind it. we are going to look into EA82t-specific piping (specifically an up-pipe...but they can probably do header work too). so I may be asking for some donor stock parts to take measurements on etc. I also got offered a job too bad I live 3 hours away but it may justify a change in location.....who knows.

not the case...the EJ AWD systems use a pretty strong VLSD in the center.

cheers.....wish I had the excuse of a sweet project for my lack of progress....once I get mine going, it'll still be stock :-\ there's an epic shot for ya! sweet! I see you've got your rear shocks triangulated.....what do you think of that?

and completely irrelevant since we're talking about pre-1994 subaru PT4WD/FT4WD systems. not 2008 Jeeps. yes, you are right, that true 4WD with a locked (or non-existant) center diff cannot be used on the street. however, it takes only a moment (via the flip of a lever or push of a button...no getting out of the car) to engage/lock the center once you've gotten to where FWD/unlocked have fallen short. and a LSD rear can be added to a 4WD subaru just as easily as an AWD one. your arguments are somewhat valid.....but only in that a rear LSD makes a much bigger difference than what you have in the center. also, by putting down the old gen systems, you're not exactly endearing yourself to the OP as a knowledgeable person on the subject. since he quite likes them.....

like I said....wiring can be outsourced. depending on your timeframe.....I can do it (I just finished wiring for an '05 WRX drivetrain swap into a '96 imp L.....). if you're interested, shoot me a pm/email, and we can talk. you'll want to run a new-gen trans to hold the power. 6-speed would be ideal, but running the DCCD would be all but impossible without an aftermarket controller. even if you get a sweet deal on the motor, you're still looking at at least $5k for the swap. probably much closer to $10k. unfortunately, this is the nature of sweet engine swaps like this.

I was thinking everything but the tranny..... but, I do know of a couple yards up here that could possible be talked down that much I don't know what the local Subaru scene is where you're at. but here in MN....we've got a sweet club, and I know of a few guys that regularly part out entire cars for various reasons (a guy about an hour away from me just bought a turbo'd 2.5RS that had been broadsided from a junkyard.....), and all the parts could pretty easily be sourced from them. they're not exactly high-demand parts. you might also find somebody parting out an old T-leg for the shortblock.....be creative, keep in mind, the rear end parts are the same for an auto or a manual trans. so you can mix and match.

well....that's no fun. it is a rather in-depth conversion. but certainly not impossible. and if you happen to have a lead on parts (know someone who's parting something out, etc.), it might make a lot more sense to convert it. ANY subaru with a MacPherson rear end will work. but you will need the entire rear suspension/diff/axles/brakes, driveshaft, and tranny. I could probably get most of the parts from the local UPull yard for less than $200. sure....some assembly required.....but if you're a DIY person, it's not that terribly difficult. you may want to poke around on more new-gen-based forums like Nasioc or RS25. many people have done this conversion, and you may find more documentation there.

like I said, not really much harder than doing it in a GC impreza. and STI-swapped GCs are running around the world by the hundreds (or more). also, WRX swaps into EA82s have been done more than a few times, and the STi/WRX differences are pretty minimal (nevermind the 6-speed ) the wiring is a rather daunting task, but there are many people (myself included....once I'm caught up), that can do the harness merge for you. and in the grand scheme of the budget required for a swap like that, paying someone to do a harness merge is a pretty small portion.

well, an unlimited center diff doesn't exist in the subaru world....so that's not an issue. and a functioning center VLSD will not easily slip! I've had essentially every subaru 5MT combination there is....PT4WD D/R, FT4WD D/R, and simple AWD in my '94 Legacy. we took the legacy out bombing through fields in a foot or more of powder, following a Jeep on 35" tires. bogged down a couple times, but 2nd gear and hold the throttle down....and it'll pull right out! the only disadvantage the legacy ever had over the others, is an open rear diff. all my EA82s had an LSD in the rear by the time I was driving them much in the snow. that rear LSD makes almost as much of a difference as switching from bald all-seasons to high performance snow tires. only times I've ever been stuck in snow, with any setup, are when it's so deep and heavy, that the snow is supporting the bulk of the weight of the car, and usually all 4 (sometimes just 3...) tires are spinning. so at stock height, you won't notice a difference. IMO (and I drive through a lot of snow here in northern MN), the biggest difference you'll notice is the loss in mileage when you'd have your EA trans in FWD. so you need to decide whether you want the AWD traction on dry pavement (Something I wouldn't sacrifice on a stock-height car) enough to justify the loss in mileage. oh yea, and there's a road here in Duluth that's too steep and is cobblestone, so they don't plow it either. I always go there when it snows.....I've never had to back down it (knock on wood), FT4WD, PT4WD, AWD, whatever. and the AWD car was at a disadvantage anyway without the rear LSD. snow is where independent suspension excels, because the differentials are tucked neatly up out of the way, where they're hanging down like anchors on those Jeeps/SUVs

depends on your definition of "fits" yea, it'll fit, it'll bolt up......but it's not the same as what he already has. and certainly not an upgrade.

^boy...that makes it sound a lot harder than it is. it's really not much more difficult than doing an STi swap into any other subaru. get the STi 6-speed trans, some custom linkage and driveshaft work, stock N/A 3.9 EA82 rear diff, a turbo crossmember, some custom radiator work, a scoop in your hood (or FMIC). the stuff that makes it more difficult than doing it into a GC impreza, for example, is really not that terribly difficult. worst part, IMO, would be converting an EA-bodied car to hydraulic clutch. but I believe Suberdave did that.....so it's definitely possible.

stock EA82 4WD. 185/70r13 IIRC.

guy here in the cities has now had a weber carb'd EA81, an MPFI EA82, than an ER27 in his Hatch. he's said repeatedly, the swaps were all just as much work as an EJ swap.....but with a fraction of the reliability/power (the ER27 is comparable power to the EJ....but a bigger pain to swap). if you're going to go to that trouble.....do it right the first time, and go EJ.

Finally got the Subaru to a point where I'm not worried to drive it to the gas station, much less deliver in it. so it's time to sink my extra income into the Truck for awhile. so, this arrived on Monday: inside: complete Engine rebuild kit, including timing set with the engnbldr metal chain guide (factory uses solid plastic ones.....they have a tendency to fail), all bearings, seals, new oil pump, new pistons non-turbo pistons at that, since the seals on my turbo are blown, and rebuild kits for those are much more expensive and harder to find, I decided to drop N/A pistons in it, to return the compression to normal, and ditch the turbo entirely and something about the 4-cyl kind of needing the turbo to be able to move the weight of a 4Runner with an auto trans and offroad gear (not to mention oversized tires). so, I spent a little extra and got this: it's not on the top of the project list, but now I've got the parts. I moved the truck so I can still easily park 4 cars (my 3 + the girlfriend doesn't have to park on the street....) on my slab, and I can still get in front of the truck to work on the engine.

you may or may not have heard of Grimmspeed....they've become pretty well known in the new-gen crowd lately, growing insanely fast. I've seen group buys and build threads by them on every new-gen specific forum I've been on lately. search around, or just check out their website here: http://www.grimmspeed.com well, I happen to know the guy who started it pretty well, Justin Grimm. he's a long time member of MNSubaru, and I just did the wiring for their "Team Grimmspeed" Car, known as their Project L. it's a '96 impreza LX Sedan with full '05 WRX drivetrain and interior swap. and he's gotten sponsors for pretty much every part on the car that they don't make their own, everything from bushings, to adjustable suspension arms, to coilovers, to a full vinyl wrap for the car. anyway, they've become known a bit for doing some new and interesting products, specific for older cars (EJ-series of course, but phase I, and N/A stuff! not just WRX parts). They do small runs of parts anyway, no real need for a run of many thousands of parts to justify doing it. so I was thinking, while I'm hanging around the shop this weekend, consulting him about doing some EA stuff. sooooo.......those of you interested in taking your EA builds to the next level. most likely EA82t.....but not necessarily.....check out their site, and see if there's anything you like. I'm sure porting/polishing and ceramic coating of the stock EA82t headers/up-pipe would be easy, but how about things like phenolic spacers? let me know, and I'll put in a good word if there's interest