GeneralDisorder

Yeah - you can. Just get some non air EA82 struts and install them. From what I understand this isn't a huge job - just a strut change. Might want to get the EA82 adjustable rear struts. Just telling you that because most of the EA82's I've seen don't have them, so you have to look around a bit for them. Take a look at the mounting points and make sure they are the same - save you a trip back to the JY that way - just in case. A LOT of people do this - I have heard it jacks the back up a bit higher than normal.... GD

Matt - 1. people use the EA82 flywheel so you can get the better clutch setup - or even the XT6 setup. Something you wouldn't understand since you have small tires. The timing marks can be transfered over to the new flywheel - you just have to plan ahead. 2. You don't NEED Jerry's kit for the install. His kit ALLOWS you to use the stock levers. It can be done just fine using the EA82 linkage. Your 4WD lever will just move is all. 3. His kit is designed for 4WD manual cars - not just Brat's. Your's was an auto - thus the needed changes. Austins was a single range EA71 - thus his needed changes as well. Floorpan sheet metal is different for almost every year/transmission, so minor asjustements are pretty much the norm for any sort of tranny swapping action. Also - the 5 speed will not change your gearing appreciably. It gives you more gears, but in the same range. 5th gear on a 5 speed will be almost the same as 4th gear on a 4 speed. Your "redlining" in 4th will just be "redlining" in 5th. And if you lift it with big tires, you'll not be using 5th much at all - likewise, you'll not be using 4th on the 4 speed. (unless you have an 81/82 D/R with the lower gearing....). However - if a lift is in your future, then you WANT a 5 speed or an 81/82 D/R because you'll at least have 4 useable gears that way. The 81/82 is nice since it's a direct bolt in. The 5 speed requires considerably more work, but yeilds a slightly lower 4WD low range for the effort, and about the same gearing results - just with an unused 5th gear. GD

NOT all EA81's use the same cam. the hydro lifter engines are different as they have different valves - thus an 83 or 84 non-hydro engine will have a different cam than an 83 / 84 turbo. On top of that, the Brat has yet another cam..... there's actually a BUNCH of cams for the EA81's - depending on year, hydro lifters, and turbo. Even the performance cams from Delta are different if you intend to put them in a hydro or a non-hydro... you have to tell them which you want. GD

Cheapest fix - get another car - use that one for parts. EA82's are so damn common that doing extensive rust repair is a waste of time. If it's really that rusty, then likely it's not worth more than a couple hundred in parts..... do you really want to spend that kind of effort on a car worth less than your shirt? GD

Incidentally - ALL the hitachi's I have looked at have worn throttle shafts, but it doesn't seem to affect them much. The one I just rebuilt and installed on my Brat wiggles quite a bit, and came from a car with 189k on it. Runs PERFECTLY. Also - if that really is your problem, then might I sugest giving CCR a call. They sell "throttle bases" with new shafts for $40 plus a core. All you would have to do is bolt on your existing carb to the throttle base, and send the old one back to them. The throttle base itself is iron, and the shaft is Brass, so just a new shaft is all you really need...... I still think this isn't your problem tho. What are your symptoms? GD

Engine swap is easy. 1. Drain and remove the radiator. 2. Disconnect all electrical connections - alternator, distributor, and anything else you have (A/C, etc) 3. Disconnect the throttle cable. 4. Remove the starter from the bell houseing, and set it in the spare tire area. 5. Disconnect the Y pipe from the heads. 6. Undo the two engine mounts from the cross-member. Leave the mounts on the engine tho. 7. Disconnect the pitching stopper from the firewall side. 8. Remove the rest of the engine to tranny bolts and nuts. 9. Put a jack under the tranny, and lift it about 2" off the cross-member, and support it with a jack-stand. 10. Get a friend and each of you grab a valve cover and hoist the engine out of there. You could use a picker, or a chain and a 2x4 also.... Installation is the reverse pretty much.

Ah - and for good measure - here's a pic of mine - freshly coated with mud: GD

I would think that it would be best to use the MPFI components from an EA82T - using the injectors and manifold from the EA81T, and making sure the sensors were proper. From what I understand the ECU system on the EA81T is the same as the one in the early EA82T's..... did they have N/A MPFI's in 85 or 86? That would be the way to go if you could find one. GD

Ah yes! It was quite a nice day. Although very long for me and Bugaru (4 hours each way). Really was a great day for me - got to try out my new welded diff, and got new front and rear bumpers from Soobme. I'll be sure to post detailed pics when I get them painted, but for now, these will have to do: http://usmb.net/gallery/album174 Met a lot of people in person that I had only talked to on the board - always a good thing. GD

That all depends on who's property it is..... basically if it's not mine, then I don't give a damn. GD

So how do Chevron's group II oils stack up to other major brands - specifically Castrol GTX 20w50? My thinking being along the lines of Exxon in that Castrol really shouldn't be calling it synthetic if it isn't..... so maybe I would do better to support Chevron and use their 20w50 non-synth. I'm not a synth user, so I would like to hear your opinion on it. Although - I can imagine that if the presentation was put on by Chevron, then they probably made their junk out to be the bees knees..... but it sounds like you've done your fair share of research into this topic.... something I have no desire to do being just a simple software engineer, and far removed from the world of oil analysis.... any direction or background you could give would be much appreciated GD

http://www.ccrengines.com/roobuilders/ GD

Hhhmmm - never did like the yellow look anyway. Methinks I'll get an MSD. GD

Cali hiway patrol has a lamborghini - seized it in a drug bust. Pretty sure your STi would get walked on. GD

The VR is inside the alt, so if it's bad, then time for a new alt. The dash guages are notoriously inaccurate, so get a multimeter out, and do a real test. Also tes for AC comming off the alt, as this is a good indication the VR is going out (bad diod's cause AC...). GD

YAY! no cam cases here..... GD

Ok - maybe someone can help me here... I have always been under the impression that EA81 U-joints are not serviceable.... and that in order to replace them, a driveline shop must be employed to install new yoke's on the driveline capable of holding serviceable joints. Now I know that Qman had one built for his hatch with all serviceable joints.... My aforementioned confusion comes from the various drivelines which I have sitting around my house right now... The one which came off my wagon right after doing the 4WD swap is pictured below. Now this one has zirk fittings on BOTH ends for the u-joints. Leading me to believe that possibly these joints had already gone bad, and the major work needed to replace them has already been done..... ie, to install new joints would be pretty easy and cheap? This also makes sense, as the vehicle this driveline came from had approximately 320k miles on it, and very likely could have been on it's second set of joints. Now the driveline that's IN my wagon right now (the one you gave me Qman), has no zirk fitting in the front, but it does have one in the rear joint. So maybe just that joint was replaced? I took a look at some other drivelines I have around - the one's that are in my Brat, and my friend's Brat that's in my garage, and also the one that's in the new white wagon all have no zirk fittings on either end.... So did I get lucky with this driveline and end up with one that already has serviceably joints installed? If so, how do I go about changing them? - they are clicking quite a bit. Front joint: The rear joint: GD

Also - either one can be converted to the other pretty cheap.... and I do believe that redline also sells a conversion kit for around $30 to make either one a manual choke..... GD

Wow - sounds like this freeze plug thing is pretty common - I'll have to look into that, as the engine *was* a rebuilt apparently, and just maybe the plugs were aftermarket, and popped out. That sure would be nice if that were the case. GD

It might, but I would tend to think the urethane too soft for bushings. They do make other types of plastics that would do the job tho. Something with the properties of nylon would work I should think. Are you talking about 4 speed bushings or 5 speed bushings? GD

Skip - can I come play in your shop with you? Looks like a lot more fun than mine..... GD

Hhhhmmm - an interesting possiblily. I'll certainly have a look at those. Thanks for drawing my attention to that. GD

Brought this one home today - got it for a song since it "doesn't run" Nice interior and pretty good looker I think. Anyway - the reason for it not running became obvious as soon as I removed the air filter..... all 5 pounds of it - soaked in "milkshake". Now the owner said that he had a rebuilt engine put in less than 2 years ago..... so what kind of damage can I expect to see from all this water and oil mix being run through the thing? We drained a full 2 gallons of this chocolate shake stuff out of the pan, and there's at least another quart there in the bottom. Obviously he drove it some this way - he said he drove it home, and pretty much parked it after that. I can find no evidence of metal shavings to indicate that any bearings have gone, and we poured some gas in it, and it cranked over for a few secconds - sounded alright.... GD

Yeah - makes sense now that I think about it - since there's no room back there for a big tank. Thanks for the stats Ken.... All this time I was thinking the EA81's only had 2 types of tanks.... now I see there's 4! Amazing. Also interesting to note the fuel pressure of the carbed pump - 1.35 - 2.06 psi. Not quite enough for a Weber according to most literature. GD

Really? I thought all EA81 4WD tanks were the same....?!?! Of course I could be wrong.... GD