Don_Quixpunch

Wow! That's looking sharp. I almost wanna yell at you for thinking to EJ it, but EJ power, 5 lugs, bigger brakes, and AWD would make that one pimp ride.

The engine mounts seem to be compatible, but I've read that an EA71 car has the starter mounted to the top center and I know the EA81 is towards the top on the left side. You can swap in an EA81 transaxle, or I've read something about just swapping the EA81 bell housing onto the EA71 trans. You might also need the clutch and/or flywheel from the EA81. If you opt for the tranny swap, be prepared to make modifications to the driveline, shifter linkages, and/or the cross member. If you search EA81 + EA71 + swap, you'll probably find a write up from somebody who's actually done the swap.

I wouldn't get a single range for 1200 unless it's in very good shape. It'll do well in the snow, but without a low range, it doesn't have the gearing to climb any steep hills. Were it cheaper, it might be worth swapping a dual range. But that's a bit of a hassle. Just so you know, DR trannys can be had in the junk yards here in SLC for around 100$. Depending on the car, you will need additional parts. If you buy a 4 speed or a single range car with the intent of swapping, do the research first. For all I know, the 5 speed DR might drop into a 5 speed single range car and only need the DR shifter? Or, it might require cross member modification, a different clutch and flywheel, both shifters and the drive shaft from the donor car.

I kind of figured that might be the case. If I were to buy it, I'd definitely plan on an EJ swap. Lemme know if you decide you want me to give it a look. At that price, I don't think it'll sell fast. I'm always browsing the classified ads for Soob stuff, so I'll continue to post when I see D/R wagons.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=0&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=2479561 Dunno if this is in your range, but it looks pretty in the pictures and should be pretty much a turn key car. So far as I can tell, it has the dual range trans. It's an EA82t which a lot of people here aren't very enamored with. It's probably not so bad if you mostly drive on the street and keep up with the maintenance. But you should do your own research. According to the 'Subarus of the 80s' page, it's got MPFI. The SPFI and the EJ MPFI are highly regarded, but I don't know if the EA mult-iport setup is as good. If you decide you're interested, let me know and I'll give it a look.

As long as you have an EA81 and not an EA71, the 5 speed will bolt up to the engine. Further modifications are needed for the trans cross member, shift linkages, and drive shaft. Also, you'll want to look into swapping your flywheel and clutch. There are a couple of threads about doing the swap into a gen 2 car. I'm gathering the parts to do the 5 speed swap into my gen 1 Brat and it's far more complicated.

A lot of us prefer the EA81. But I don't think it came paired with a 5 speed from the factory. The wheels are okay, but you can easily find more, if you buy a Subie for its wheels, they gotta be more special than wagon spokes. I agree that you were smart to walk away from that one. If you're looking for a car to fix up, the biggest hassle is major rust repairs. You might just think about getting a PNW or AZ car.

We could always throw out a lowball offer. The way Moosens described it, dood is probably going to end up paying somebody to sort the different metals for recycling. If this does happen. I'm willing to hitch a ride with somebody and spend a few days sorting through the crap.

I think one person would have to run the deal. Then somebody who has the available space would have to keep the stuff. Obviously, people who put up the original cash would get their split. But after that, the person storing the stash would need to sell off parts to recoup the cost of storage. I would vote for Kosta in charge since he's the one who announced the find. But I've seen all the pictures in his build thread and it doesn't look like he has room for the stuff.

That's a lot of scratch for any single person to drop. But the group buy thing could very well work. I would be thrilled to kick in a hundred or more. If I have a week or two, I could drop a bit more. With enough people in on the deal, we'd all get everything we need and still only scratch the surface.

Speaking of old GLs, I was at the local Tear a Part yesterday and saw an 84 with power steering and pretty much every other power accessory that was probably available at the time. Also, another car had a full set of black wagon spokes. Let me know if you need anything that you can't find local.

No worries. That's why I made a point to list all the problems. Didn't want to know you got stuck in money pit like I've done for myself.

So I finally got around to looking at the GL wagon here in SLC. There's quite a bit wrong with it, but for the right price, maybe it's worth getting... I personally would go 4 or 5 hundred. Oil was half a quart low and black as sin, but no water in it. Needed a jump pack to start the thing. Seems somebody left the park lights on and killed the battery, car wouldn't run without the jump pack, so the alternator is toast too. There's a problem with the hood latch, looks like the spring just needs put back on. I didn't feel like rolling on the ground, but the front DOJ boots are solid. If you're interested, I could go back in ratty clothes for a closer look. Since it wouldn't run on its own, I didn't drive it at all. But bouncing on the car showed okay struts in back and the fronts are on the verge of gone. Has okay tires, but they're studded snow tires, I would change them before driving any great distance. I didn't feel any wobble or hear any clunks when I rocked the car sideways. I don't remember the exact mileage, but I'm thinking the ad was about 100k short. The paint is a bad as it looks in the pictures, and there's rust in all the normal places, rear fender arches are rusted through in spots. Ski rack is pretty ratty. Dark tint on all the back windows is peeling. Headlights are cloudy and one had a rock chip in the middle. Mismatched wheels, has three of the blah steel wheels and two wagon spokes, but I have a pair of white spokes I'd be willing to give you if the fella I offered them to doesn't come through soon. Windshield has a crack going most of the way across it. The driver's seat is pretty saggy, made me feel lop sided to sit in it. The stereo's been ripped out leaving a gaping hole in the center console. Aside from that, the interior is in good shape for the cars age. On the bright side, Dood said he drove it from Ogden, a bad head gasket would make itself known in that distance. With the jump pack, it started right up and sounded healthy. Shifters both tight. Clutch and brake pedals both felt firm, but again, I didn't drive it. If you were to buy it, you'd have to replace the alt and battery before even leaving the lot. Before leaving SLC, I myself would change the oil and the tires. But I saw nothing that makes me think it wouldn't make it to Rawlins. Hit me up if you have any questions or you need help making it happen.

You'll probably get a much better response in the retrofitting forum. Fascinating idea! The RX trans seems to be AWD with a locking center diff. The engine should pretty much drop in, but a second gen trans in a first gen car is pretty involved. Not saying don't do it, just that there's going to be some fab work. Oh, and don't get rid of your parts car before the Brat is done and driving.

I have no reason to think anything is wrong with it. I can turn the input shaft by hand without much effort and the outputs turn. I just want it to be clean so the new gear oil doesn't get fouled up. The diesel sounds a bit easier. Thanks for the input.

Love the top! That's all kinds of cool. And the car is in such good shape. I can't believe how smooth and uncracked your dash is.

Instead of an EJ swap, you might consider a souped up EA81. I don't think it's a whole bunch cheaper, but it's tons less work and the car stays a lot closer to original. From what I've read, a high compression EA81 with EA71 pistons, shaved decks, a Delta torque or HP cam grind, Weber, and some porting can put out as much as 110 to 120 HP. Even at 110 horse, that's a 50% gain. I'm collecting parts for a 5 speed swap in my own 81 Brat. Once I get tearing into it, I'll take lots of pictures in hopes of getting good advice on my own as well as making it easier for other people to do. There are people here who've done it before, but I've yet to see a photo spread or write up on the process.

So I got a 5 speed yesterday for my swap and it's been sitting for a few years. Has a bit of water in it from condensation. I was planning to just fill it with ATF and run it for a few hundred miles before I change to gear oil. Is this a dumb idea? Anybody have better suggestions that don't require me to tear into it?

I don't know for certain that this translates to the EA71, as I have an 81 Brat. But the temp sending unit on the radiator only triggers the radiator fan. I have another temp sending unit mounted to the engine that feeds the idiot light. I think it's the one on the back of the intake manifold.

Love the bumper! That is all kinds of sexy.

Yeah, I almost never travel south. I was thinking about starting a Rocky Mountain West group including Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and the south half of Idaho.