Got lost on the search results, but I thought I read in here about how you can remove the front axles and just run the rears? I have a 88 GL wagon, and think I would have more fun with a rear wheel drive car. It also has a 2" lift, but other then that it is stock. Anyone know if there is an issue with running no front axles?

Got lost on the search results, but I thought I read in here about how you can remove the front axles and just run the rears? I have a 88 GL wagon, and think I would have more fun with a rear wheel drive car. It also has a 2" lift, but other then that it is stock. Anyone know if there is an issue with running no front axles?

 

If you wanted to run your wagon rwd yes you technically could but its not going to make it handle better. The subys steering setup was made to be turned with front wheel or 4 wheel drive so only having rear wheel drive with that kind of steering is going to cause some serious understeer. Also keep in mind the rear diff wasnt really designed to take 100% of the power all the time so it would cause some premature wear on that. If youd like to take out the front CVs and go drift to your hearts content and attempt to burn out on the suby you can go for it but as far as a daily driver suby that is rwd i dont think it would work very well.

What brumby420 said is all correct. I ran my 84 wagon for a couple weeks in RWD with no problems. I did however take it easy. You do need to put axle stubs in the front hubs though, thats what holds things together up there.

 

I feel ya though. I really wish my subie was RWD with part time 4WD. i <3 RWD

You will quickly ruin your transmission if you have larger wheels and tires, the stock drivetrain won't last long with abuse without front axles.

 

If you're doing it for fun it won't last long.

Well, thanks for input. I just figured it would be fine. Wet rainy roads here in Lynnwood, light gravel logging road to hiking trail heads, + the one or two days of snow on the road we get a year. So I will sitck to 4 wheel drifts.

I run some 14" rims but still small tires, 205/60 let'em spin:grin:

the only guy i know that tried it never had the trans fail on him and it sat behind an EG33. those rear hubs/drums do fail though so i wouldn't push it at all if i were doing it. if yo'ure doing it "to play" then it's probably a bad idea.

Ive driven my ea81 buggy in rwd with no ill effects besides poor handling for a couple of days but that was only because my cv axles were bad and i still wanted to drive it anyways

I did it to both my Loyale and to my old GL.

 

Loyale lived most of its life in RWD before it died of unrelated problems, but it seemed to hold up good for the occasional one tire fire.

 

The GL on the other hand lived only a short while with RWD while running 215/60/15's on the rear which caused the rear diff to explode violently leaving me with gear soup.

 

So to answer your question, no i would not run it like that on a daily driver. Neither of my cars were main transportation so i didn't worry about it. Also with a open rear diff you are essentially one wheel drive with no option to change it. With FWD if you can always pop it into 4WD. If you want to have a true drift car, RWD it, EJ22 it, and then weld the rear and hope it holds up.

Generally speaking the rear components aren't beefy enough for anything other than a stock-power EA series engine.

 

You could upgrade them to handle more but the next weakest link is the 1:1 rear output gear set inside the tranny. Drives from the pinion shaft to the shaft that runs the driveline.... you'll strip the teeth right off those gears.

 

GD