newrider3

Here are some current photos of this car for those who have been wondering. Major things that have changed: '98 EJ25 DOHC engine swapped in, running on factory '93 computer and wiring. Welded center clutch, chopped bellhousing 4EAT installed with divorced Samurai transfer case. Custom driveshafts, 3.90 R160 diffs front and rear. FWD Impreza front CV axles. 5" dropped front and rear suspension crossmembers, custom mounts built for all other ancillaries. 4" over Outback length extended custom struts. Built from 2" DOM tubing, Volvo 240 strut insert cartridges, Ebay threaded coil over sleeves, and QA1 springs (slightly uprated from stock). These inserts have equivalent shock shaft travel to Outback rear struts, and about 2" extra travel compared to stock front struts. 1" wheel spacers were necessary to clear the custom extended struts while maintaining correct camber. Running 235/75R15 all terrains on 15" Outback steel wheels. Ebay stainless WRX header slightly modified to route exhaust around transfer case and lift components. Running a muffler off a SRT Cherokee, with a 1/8" thick stainless tailpipe to prevent smashing it closed off road. Welded together some scrap metal and a rear hub and bearing unit from a Cavalier into a swing out spare tire carrier. For some reason I've had a hard time getting any non dark or blurry pictures of the transfer case swap details. I do have this video of the driveline that shows a bit of detail: Other recent pictures:

There's no center diff in the 4EAT technically, but a rear drive transfer clutch pack (pretty similar to a motorcycle clutch). I gutted the discs out of the clutch pack and welded the two drums together to lock the rear drive. Pics in my build thread here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/148013-1993-legacy-wheeleradventure-wagon/?p=1245189 I did the welding myself, so no idea what someone might charge. Welding oil soaked cast aluminum isn't the most fun thing in the world though. I will try to get some more updates and pics posted in my build thread, for some reason I haven't been able to get any good pics of the drivetrain to post so I'll have to work on that.

I cut the front diff area out of the bellhousing for the 4EAT in my Legacy for clearance in a transfer case swap. I'm running 5" of subframe drop and 6" lengthened struts. The limiting factor for tucking the front diff with the 4EAT is transmission pan clearance. It would be a tad harder to cut into the case of a 5 speed manual since the bellhousing and diff section doesn't separate like the 4EAT does, but there would be more clearance around the rest of the transmission.

Can't wait to see how this turns out.

The computer is looking for the resistance load it would normally see across the Duty C solenoid. If you want it to work without the warning light, you need to wire in a dummy load as described here: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f8/t99075-4eat-diff-lock-switch-handbrake-mod-torquemada-lite.html

Your cheapest donor bet is going to be first gen ('89-'93) Legacys to get a 4EAT, and as a plus you get EJ22 power out of the box.

Does anyone know if it was possible for any ej25/manual first gen Outback wagons to be equipped with a 3.90:1 final drive ratio? Or were they all lower? I pulled the rear diff from my '98 OB parts car and it's missing the convenient gear ratio sticker...

Picked this gem up on Craigslist yesterday for a steal; came with all three driveshafts plus a spare front, and I didn't even have to pull it These Samurai t-cases are even smaller and lighter than I had expected; should be no problem to find a way to package this in the Legacy.

Have you wheeled a car with a 4eat? I have, and an auto is a true advantage, especially for hills. As I said you get equivalent final drive due to the reduction out of the torque convertor as you do with a dual range, and there's no slipping the clutch or taking obstacles at an unsafe speed. The center clutch is easy to defeat, either electronically so you can lock it with the flip of a switch, or permanently with a little welding as I have done. 6 lug mod aside, there are plenty of stock subaru wheels in 15" and 16" sizes, with the proper stock offset, that you can mount the most common A/T and M/T tires to. I was even looking into light tractor and heavy SxS ATV tires that would fit the 14" steelies my Legacy came with. And there are just as many aftermarket options in the 5 lug pattern as well. I will agree that a strut bottom lift like I did is out of reach for someone without a little engineering skill and a TIG welder, but Outback and Forester struts are dime a dozen. When you get to a set of tires that are too big for the longer struts on a Legacy or Impreza, an EA82 powered car would be gutless pushing tires that big anyway.

This was my original plan for my $500 Legacy. I specifically bought it with the 4EAT auto, and feel like that's the way to go for a buggy build. No clutch to burn up, and when you factor in the reduction of the torque convertor you have a lower crawl ratio than a 5spd D/R. The power of the EJ22 and greater wheel selection in 5x100 bolt pattern are other advantages over an older donor. Weight of the donor car is not an issue in my opinion when you're planning to chop off 75% of it anyway.

I like the exhaust tip - I might have to borrow that idea when I get the exhaust run properly on my wagon. I liked the look of a straight 2.25" pipe out the back, but it looked awful after it got smooshed on a rock or something.

Good to see more Colorado members. I'm in Golden, and I have a buddy who is a machinist down in Windsor that can do the 6 lug conversion to your hubs/drums when you decide to mount up some bigger wheels and tires

From the pics I can find online that transmission looks very different from a Subaru 4eat, there are probably only minor internal similarities. The car will still be my daily, so I haven't decided if I want to weld the rear or not. I've contemplated getting two R180 diffs to use and try to source a pair of mechanical lockers used in Nissan R180 fronts, but I think at least at this point the plan is to keep the stock 3.90 R160 rear diff and source a matching one for the front to keep costs down.

I know that feeling...it doesn't seem like people want to respond to build threads with too many technical details in this section.

Got another piece finished for my high clearance RWD 4EAT for the t-case swap. Cut the diff section out of the bellhousing and plated over. The new diff will be able to mount up close enough to require only an additional 5" lift. Mockup: Welded up: