GeneralDisorder

Well - I took a look under there - doesn't look good for a 4WD swap. There's major frame components in the way of where the driveshaft would have to go. The unibody goes across from one rear wheel, to the other rear wheel. I don't see how you could fit a driveline in there - doesn't look to be anything in the way of mounting points for a rear end of any kind - gas tank is in the way too.... the floor of the car where the shifter is doesn't look big enough to accomidate a 4WD trans either... hard to tell tho. Believe me - even EA81's aren't bolt up (of all people - I should know - I've done it!) - and this being even older I tend to doubt it would "just bolt in". Moosens has also said in another thread recently that the unibody is different for Gen 1 2WD vs 4WD - my inspection seems to point to this conclusion as well. The car has 89K on it I think. Could be 189k of course, but I tend to doubt it looking at the condition of the car overall. It's really not bad - just abused a bit because it's so old, and dirty from sitting on a farm not being driven. Like I said - the trans seems to work fine, and seems reliable even. I would think that if it made a 300 mile trip to Portland from Medford that it would last a while longer. I can't tell on the A/C compressor - can you tell me what to look for? - there's a sticker on the side, but it's mostly gone - just the corners are left. I think I can make out "tokyo" but that's about it... The muffler looks good from a cursory inspection - won't know for sure till I get it out of the car. There is an exhaust leak, but it sounds like it's near the engine compartment... looks original Subaru to me.... right rear door is good I think. metal trim peice on the bumper - I don' think it has one... there's a black rubber strip there. About 2-3" wide... The front bumper has one - the rear just has that rubber - doesn't look like it had anything metal there - but I have no clue. roof rack is starting to rust.... but it's saveable if you desired to do it. There's no rust anywhere but on the roof rack, and some little amount of surface rust in other places... Does anyone know if the windsheild from this will fit a Gen 1 Brat? GD

Simple - the car he can get the title to is 2WD - the 4WD car has no title. GD

Typical gear teeth - that one's toast. Rebuilding the 4 speed is about the worst possible request a Subaru mechanic could get as far as tranny work goes. The innards of it are a real nightmare. Special tools are required just to dissasemble it, and the amount of things that can go wrong durring inspection / repair / assembly are just mind boggling. I have a rebuild manual sitting here, and have been looking into this possibility myself - but I'm crazy. If you value your sanity, get one from the JY, and be done with it. Better yet - put in a 5 speed 4WD from an EA82 car and call it good. I'm a pretty darn good mechanic, and I wouldn'y put my chances of rebuilding one of these at more than say 20%. By the manual, and the research I've done I would have to say it might be the most challenging thing I will have yet attempted..... GD

Rebuilding an automatic trans is on the order of $600 or more.... just to throw a number out there. Mudrat told me he had an EJ auto rebuilt at one point - it was something like that. Rebuilding the manual trans is also a nightmare - beleive me - I've been researching this. The 4 speeds are complicated inside, and require a serious Subaru guru to get it right when rebuilding. I don't think there's anyone around that could do it reliably, and not charge you a FORTUNE for the work. The auto would be cheaper to fix..... I may actually attempt a rebuild, or partial rebuild of a 4 speed at some point, as I have begun aquireing the manuals for it - but I need some special tools that I haven't got yet as well.... I say stuff the Auto, and put in a stick. tranny x-member is different for auto's, you'll have to swap that off the parts car - and you also may experience a tight tunnel condition when doing to swap - hard to tell. May have to beat it in a bit. GD

If you have an original key for the car - the lock number is on it too.... Just a weird tidbit that I happen to know - Nissan used a LOT of the same locks as Subaru. That's why their key blanks are the same as our early locks. Also - I was looking through a pile of ignition switches with keys that had been removed from various cars (weird that I would be doing this I know - don't ask....), and found one that looked EXACTLY like a Subaru EA81 DL (non tilt) lock..... the tag read something like Nissan 200SX os some silly thing like that. I am quite positive it was the same thing tho - even down to the bolts that hold it to the column...... amazing the weird little bits of info I have stored away isn't it? GD

Yeah - nothing is set absolutely just yet - I think it's gonna get parted or driven one way or another. Seems everyone wants a peice of it. Caboobaroo want's to convert it to 4WD, and what not - if that's even possible..... I would love to see you get the tranny from this one Todd - works great the little bit I drove it, and the guy drove it up from Medford (300 miles maybe?) about 3 months back.... and this one has A/C - so I know your probably gonna want that stuff too.... The engine in it I'm definately keeping - since it's a runner, and EA71's are getting hard to find. I'll need it for my Brat, and possibly I'll use it's pistons and what not for a built EA81 at some later date.... If it can't be converted to 4WD, then likely body panels and such will be up for grabs - glass, etc... I mostly want the engine, front interior, fenders, bumpers if I can make em work, suspension (probably just the front assuming it will work on the Brat), and a lot of the wiring. Hard to tell what may be for sale soon..... I do think it very likely that you could get the auto trans from it Todd - I know you probably want it as a backup, and Mick said you might be interested. That and the A/C is yours for shipping and a little something to cover my labor to remove, and ship, etc... PM me if your interested. GD

you can remove it - it will just be loud and rather annoying. Doesn't hurt anything other than not having the air filter hooked to the AIS - so you might suck some impurities into the exhaust - possibly dirt or water too..... GD

What lock does it need? If all but one of the locks is good, you can just remove the bad one and either have it repaired at a locksmith, or find another good one and have it keyed to the same key as the rest of the car - thus removing the time consuming process of replacing all the locks. The ignition (contrary to poular belief) is probably the easiest of the 4 to remove if that is the case - simply remove it (I can tell you how if you like), and take it to a smith and have a new cylinder installed keyed to the original key. Cost is on the order of $20 - $30 at the smith I use...... Oh - and if all you need is keys made - get a mirror and write the number down off the passenger side door lock - they can make a key from that code - no need to remove any locks..... GD

Yeah - Legacy stuff is the way to go - the rear end from the Gen 1 should be fine - ratio wise it can be changed to whatever ratio you need simply by swapping the diff. I think the Gen 1's were 4.11 already tho... I know some of the legacy stuff is 4.11. Probably best to use a legacy LSD rear diff with the Gen 1 rear suspension, and cut down legacy axles back there.... Stay away from the EA81T - hard to find parts for, rare, and small on HP... Regular EA81's are nice - but after building it to get 150 HP from it, you could have just bought an EJ engine, and trans for the money and time.... The 81 Brat tranny is no different - it's the same as any other 4 speed D/R. And yes - they will fit - but your not really looking for D/R are you? You would be better served by AWD I should think.... GD

Well - the main problem your going to have is that virtually *everything* from any newer model is going to be too wide. The EA82T engine will need a lot of frame cutting to fit - and you only get 115 HP with that. With say an EJ22T from an early legacy you would get 160 HP, and the engine is narrower, so would be easier to fit.... plus they don't have the timing belt issues that the EA82's had - or the lifter ticking.... AND you get the ability to use the AWD trans instead of the 4WD trans. Not to mention better parts availibility. The engines and transmissions for old / new will not bolt up. There was a bell houseing change that came about with the EA81 engine, and another when the EJ's came out. The EA71 trans in the car will bolt to only the EA71, or EA63? or something like that.... Rear suspension is the same way - too wide - the axles would have to be cut down for anything you apply there. I would get the rear end from a later Gen 1 4WD, and try to make that work. Such as from a late 70's Brat, or wagon... There is only 1 model that is pre 76 and 4WD - the 4WD wagon. In fact - 75 was the first year Subaru made 4WD's..... As for axles - any newer model axle will have to be cut down - they will be too long. Likely if you going to use parts from various years you might have to use the outer end of one year, and the inner end of another. http://www.cvaxles.com in florida can make whatever you need I should think - they have a good reputation on this board... As for converting a 2WD to 4WD - moosens is likely right - a conversion could probably be done - but I know for a fact that Subaru likes to make that more work than it seems. For one thing the tunnel sheet metal is probably too small to accomidate a 4WD trans, and thus without a lift, the tunnel would have to be beat in, or cut out to make room. I'm sure something could be facricated for the rear end, but now you've got more junk under there, and that's gonna make it hard to get it low to the ground.... GD

You don't want the pushrod turbo - it's rare, and difficult to find parts for. Not to mention it's only 95 HP. Turbo long blocks are different - not in the way you describe tho - they have different pistons - different heads, and even the crank and rod bearings are different (wider I believe). They also sport a 7.7:1 compression (EA82T, and EA81T), unlike the NA counterparts. I do not believe the crank and rods are forged. GD

Wow - that's gonna be a lot of work. The Gen 1's are small - putting an EA82T in them I doubt is possible - due to the size of the engine. An EA82 when transplanted into a Gen 2 car, comes within 1/2" of the frame rails - in a Gen 1, you would certainly have to make modifications to the frame to get one in. You could probably fit an EJ20T into one - in fact I've seen pics of a Gen 1 Brat with an EJ transplant - it was in AUS tho. Figure on having some major work on your hands - not just with the drivetrain - but with the suspension as well. The Gen 1 cars don't handle great, so you would want to transplant a newer suspension under it - if nothing else, just for the 5 lug wheels, as I'm sure you don't want 4 lugs on it. Axles are going to have to be custom made - but can be done. Good luck. GD

Actually - as much as he probably want's a weber - the number one thing he should do is get the gearing right - that means either an 81 or 82 D/R - or a 5 speed D/R from an EA82 (he still won't use 5th much - but at least there's 4th which is marginally lower, and 3rd for hills on the freeway... It's seriously gutless with the 85 4 speed I bet. Next up is a lift kit - if he hasn't done it already... After that's done - time for a Weber - more low-end grunt that way. Just remove the muffler completely - it's not too loud, and sounds great. Finish it off with a welded diff, or LSD if it's a street ride, and some custom bumpers etc - whatever he likes really. On another note - I may be needing some Gen 1 Brat parts sometime soon. Did you see my post about the Gen 1 wagon I got? Possibly there could be some tradeing involved of parts from it for Gen 1 Brat stuff.....??!? A lot of it's parts are going to the Brat I'm getting, but there's lots of wagon stuff left to be had. It's got a good little automatic tranny that I don't think I'll be needing - doors, glass, etc..... interested? GD

Downfalls - well, that depends on a couple things. Mine are 215/75r15's - so 28's basically. This results in a 27.6% difference in speedo reading - so the speedo is WAY slow..... now mind you my speedo was calibrated for 175's at the factory because mine was a 2WD, so a car with a 185 speedo (an original 4WD car...) would not experience the same amount of difference.... still significant tho - over 20% for sure. I got lucky, and by pure chance happened to install an 82 style D/R 4 speed - it has lower gearing for 3rd and 4th, and with the big tires is just about right - so my power is alright - especially because I'm running straight pipes, and a weber. If you had an 83+ 4 speed, the power would be bad - 3rd and 4th (especially 4th) are just too high for tires that big - the RPM's are much to low for any power going down the freeway - expect to be in 3rd all the time.... A good amount of fender cutting and banging will be in order for large tires like that - but I'm sure you already know that.... If what you are working on is an 82 or older 4WD - absolutely you will have to upgrade to the larger 225mm clutch from the 83+ 4WD's - the 200mm clutch will slip badly with big tires.... you will also need the flywheel from the 83+ if you do this.... GD

I'm with Miles - sounds valveish to me. GD

The're 6 lug - drilled out to 4 lug. Two holes line up fine - the other two you have to puch out with a good sized drill bit. I beveled the holes a bit with a dremel for the lug nut to seat better. I've had no problems with em at all. GD

Also - I had my PS idler pulley lose it's bearing, and didn't get it put back for about 1,000 miles - no worse off for it. I just took the belt off. Put it back recently and it's just fine - no change at all. So if you pump does go while on a road trip - I don't think you'll be stranded - if you must, get a shorter belt and put it on - bypassing the PS pump. On my 84 I have the bennifit of a seperate PS belt so this was no problem for me.... Also - it wasn't hard to steer at all without the PS - basically like my Brat that doesn't have it in the first place - I was surprised that it was still so easy - definately noticeably harder - but nothing to worry about if it should fail. GD

Actually - it's probably gonna get parted for the Gen 1 Brat I'm working on..... GD

Yes - some of the early 80's console's are slanted downward - but it's only some of them - I think the 2WD's?? At any rate they are very difficult to find, and when they are found, people tend to keep em - here's a pic of the one that's currently in my Brat: http://usmb.net/gallery/GeneralDisorders-Subaru-Pictures/IMG_0508 Here's the adaptor that Ed speaks of - they are availible for about $15 from any stereo store: http://usmb.net/gallery/albuo71/84_wagon_deck GD

Found it local - 78 2WD Automatic DL - with A/C even! Guy said it didn't run - so I drove it home Clean title - good tags - new battery - tires have 5k on em, with Les Shcwabb papers in the glove box.... Had to jam a rock in the choke - I think the electric choke is not working. After that it idled - like a 3 legged dog - but it does idle. With the autmatic it feels like it has about 2 HP - but climbs right up to 80 (maybe further - I didn't want to try...) on the freeway... http://usmb.net/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album143 GD

The guages are known to be fairly innacurate. Basically if it's somewhere in-between the bottom, and the top, and it increases when your off-idle - then your fine. Good engines will peg the meter when cold, and settle down a bit after warm-up. GD

For one thing - the wildcat's come in several different tread patterns - the Wildcat EXT is the Mud Terrain. The ones he has here are All Terrains. Also - a lot of LS tires (I think the Wildcat is one) are made by Cooper. The EXT's are good MT's - not sure about the all terrains - I like a more aggresive look personally, so haven't had experience with them. Lookin good - you should have got the lift first tho - cause afterwards you will want bigger tires GD

Well - if you don't want to settle for just "ok", then welded it is! You can disengage it pretty easily - 3/16" pin punch, and pull one rear drive shaft. Once you have done it a few times, you'll get very fast at it - less than 2 minutes. With the lift there's no need to jack it up - just go under, pop out the pins, and take that shaft off. Really quite easy. Putting it back on takes a little longer, but not bad. Saddly - I don't know any places close to go. Scappoose is as good as anything...... you can always go with the stock height - no need to have it lifted to have some fun with it. GD

20w-50 Castrol GTX. Higher mileage engines do well with the thicker oil - if it's under 100k, then 10w-30 is alright. I personally like to keep my oil pressure up. And no - I don't live in Maimi. It's was 15 degrees here last week, and both my soobs started right up - one even has a crappy, dieing battery. 20w-50 will be fine. GD

When they make a lot of noise like that - they will last a LONG time before complete failure generally. I had an 83 turbo wagon with a pump like that - guy told me it was like that the whole 2 years he owned it..... GD