GeneralDisorder

Yep - you will have to swap. Also you will need the front axles from the donor (25 spline inner joint), and you realize that the turbo D/R is 1.2:1 low range right? With the 3.7:1 rear end, that makes 4WD low on that tranny about the same as 4WD Hi on the regular D/R. So you can think of it as not really haveing a low range at all (in comparison). *edit* - my bad you have an 83? Then you need CUSTOM axles to run that tranny as no EA81 ever came with 25 spline DOJ's. They can be built though. GD

Pretty much - in the Army we perform monthly inspections for that sort of thing, and armed with some sandpaper and a rattle can of rust resistant CARC paint we deal with any small amounts of rust before they can get out of hand. Then every 5 years or so the vehicles go in for a complete CARC paint job and any areas of concern are sandblasted, etc. I've seen 50 year old military rigs in Hawaii that were still on the road - looking pretty nasty after 50 years, but they were still rolling, and the frame bits were solid enough. You could stick you hand THROUGH the door's at bottom - salt air eventually rusted them from the inside out. We were replaceing brake lines on hummers that were only 10 years old cause of the rust. And some of them had already been replaced once. Hawaii is WORSE than Alaska on cars. 10 years is a good run in the civilian car market over there. GD

Make sure to put the O2 in the cat. It will help it reach operating temp quicker, and keep it from dropping out of reporting range when idleing for more than a few minutes. Or use a 3 wire heated unit. But you probably know all that if you played the exhaust shop game ;o) GD

Actually, 4th AND 5th are overdrive on the 5 speeds, and 4th IS overdrive on your current 4 speed. You have the pre-83 4 speed, with shorter 3rd and 4th gears. They changed this in 83 due to mileage concerns at high speeds (which didn't really materialize). I have been using an 82 4 speed in my lifted wagon as the shorter gears help a lot with 28" tires on the freeway. 5 speed's are just as good though since 3rd and 4th are very similar to 3 and 4 on the 81/82 D/R - you'll just gain an extra overdrive gear in your case. But none of it really makes much difference - if you are planning to lift it then regardless of what you use your mileage with be about 20 with 27/28" tires, and possibly less. Makes no difference what transmission you have, it's all about the tire sizes and rolling resistance at that point. GD

Heh - I guess I wasn't too far off GD

About 2750 RPM I would say (rough guess). And the mileage is going to depend on the fuel system, but my Weber'd 86 sedan gets 28 to 29. My SPFI Brat (5 speed D/R) is over 30, but I haven't run enough tanks through it to really get a good average yet. GD

Feel free to remove that stuff then. The EA81 ECU's don't really do a whole lot, and it will run fine if you just remove it. Sounds like it had some problems in the past and rather than fix it, they just slapped on a non-feedback carb. The exhaust may have just been a coincidence and may have been replaced for unrelated reasons. It's got an ECU, and the proper vacuum diagrams for it on the hood (shows the duty solenoids), so it's a 100% gaurantee that it *did* have an O2 at one time, and it did have an ECS light - I think it's part of the tell-tale on the 80/81 cluster. They could have removed the bulb easily - they were possibly hessitant to remove the ECU thinking it might mess something up. Unlike the EA82 feedback's, the EA81's do not control the fuel pump so there's no harm in just pitching it in the dumpster. My 84 wagon was a feedback, and shortly after converting it to a Weber I pitched the ECU. It's too bad you don't still have the O2, as that would make it easier to convert to SPFI. They can be welded in pretty easily tho. GD

Then your engine and exhaust was likely replaced at some point as there would be no reason to have the ECU without it's 02, and duty solenoids. #1 - what's the engine serial number? #2 - what does the vacuum routing diagram under the hood indicate? #3 - I'm assuming the paperback sized unit is fully connected into the harness with two or three big connnectors right? #4 - does your ECS lamp ever illuminate? GD

If it's an EA81 hatch you need a custom driveline made as the hatch is shorter and was never quipped with the 5 speed. If it's an EA82 3 door coupe then the 5 speed is a bolt-in. In either case you will need the 3.9 rear diff as well. GD

Only if there is an ECU under the dash. But it sounds like no. GD

Yes, and I've broken 2 that way (because I forgot to take them out). The turning radius of a subaru is a LOT better than a toy, and hard over will snap the DOJ cup if your tires are large enough, and have enough grip on the road. Usually the cup splits open, and the cage/balls "pop" from one slot in the cup to the next. Usually twists the boot or just rips it completely off. Very noisy, and messy. Both of mine were broken at low speeds - 10 to 15 Mph. The flatter you run the axles, the less likely breaking them is, but big tires, hard turn uphill..... yeah something will give. The diff stubs can just twist right off as well sometimes - especially likely with t-case rigs. You can't really compare the halfshaft of a subaru with a splined axle shaft in a solid axle Toy. It's a completely different design. They both transfer power horizontally, but that's about where the similarities stop. GD

1500 is a pretty average number for a 2 year production. They only made around 10,000 Brat's from 77 to 87 for the US market, and there's no real shortage of them (there's a perceived shortage, but mostly only for those areas where they didn't handle the environment). Those 1500 were spread mostly to the biggest markets for Subaru in the late 80's which was the NW, and parts of the rust belt.... so really that 1500 is concentrated in specific areas. They aren't obscenely common, but not "rare" by any stretch of the imagination. Not yet anyway. That said, even if they aren't common, they aren't really worth beans either (in comparison to the normal Loyale). It's still just a Loyale wagon, and most people outside of the few enthusiasts around this board and others will never know or care what the difference is. It's such a small overall difference that most people will just see "another subaru wagon". They also made touring wagons in the Legacy body with a similar roof bump, and most non-subaru folks would lump those into the mix too. GD

Autozone - new GCK axles. You'll never buy another one. www.gck.com GD

Turbo's get bad mileage - just a fact of subaru life. The EA82T is horrible on mileage, and there's really not much to be done. 25 or 26 is about the best you can hope for if you have grandma drive you around. The 2WD SPFI's were the best, at around 35 or more. My SPFI Brat is doing right at 30 with a 5 speed D/R. GD

What about just replacing the rusty section with some rubber FI hose as a temp fix? GD

What hacking? If anything your method requires more hacking. All you are doing is using the start signal to close a relay. There's no real hacking involved - just punch the pin out of the body side connector for the ignition switch, and run it to the starter area. Ground, and battery power don't require any hacking - just a wire to the battery and a couple to ground for the relay. What you are advocating is using another switch when you already have one IN the ignition switch. Using what you already have with a low-current relay makes more sense, and it's cleaner. GD

That is extremely ghetto, and takes almost as long as installing a proper relay. Much, much *less* time if you include the 3.5 minutes you'll spend for the rest of your days popping the hood to get at the silly switch, and then the hour you will spend next year replacing the hood release cable that you have worn out. GD

If you are removing the seats why not just pull up the carpet and REALLY get at that crud? GD

It's not - the weak point is your climate conditions, and the rust prevention history of your car. 1/4" would add far too much weight to the assembly, and frankly isn't needed. But 18 YEARS of rust and salt will eat anything. I've seen military trucks fall apart from it too, and talk about overbuilt GD

I'm not sure how "limited" they really were. I've seen a number of them here in Subaru central. I did a clutch for a guy on one not long ago. Kind of strange that it didn't have a digi-dash or turbo or anything. Just a plain old GL D/R wagon, but with a touring roof. Seems kinda pointless, but I guess it looks neat simply because most don't have it GD

Availible only in 89 and 90 - that's the "touring wagon". Extra cargo space is really all it is. There are no other differences, but they did usually come as high-end models with many options. GD

Intresting - never seen that before. Just as a note - that tube is only on non-AC models. That's where the AC condensor is located. GD

For future reference, as a general rule - distributors and camshafts run at 1/2 crank speed. GD

Replace those, and do it NOW. You are probably looking at a catastrophic failure within a short time - maybe days. They will blow out and spew coolant all over the place. Then you have overheated a turbo motor - bad idea. GD

Shaft bushings are shot. These guys can rebuild your unit for $50 - $75: www.philbingroup.com Any 4WD EA81 will interchange. The 2WD's have a ND disty - that will work also if you change to the ND coil. GD