uwjberg Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) Hi all - first post here. I'm looking for some advice. A buddy of mine and I are looking at picking up an older Subaru wagon for a project. Our intention is to lightly modify it for off road use as a chase vehicle for our off road motorcycles, camping, etc. We don't intend to really do any hardcore off roading with it. We've been looking around here, and there's a decent amount of early to mid-ninties GLs and Legacys. The question is, which is better suited for off road? We plan to lift it a couple of inches and put bigger tires on it, etc. Is parts availability an issue with either? The Legacy seems to have more power but is bigger and heavier. Any advantages/disadvantages for either? Any suggestions or personal recommendations would be welcome! Edited February 12, 2012 by uwjberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uwjberg Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 By the way - don't feel limited to the ealry to mid ninties - any suggestions for the earlier models is welcome as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamCF Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) I would say an earlier GL with a dual range tranny would be the best. But. Sometimes parts can be harder to get as they get older, especially if you need a suspension arm or something that got bent. For non hardcore use a Legacy might be just the way to go. I've seen a slightly modified Outback do some pretty nasty trails no problem. And guys like Scott (SJR lift) does lift kits for just about all of them now. Personally I like the lightweight and smaller size of my 83 GL. And with a couple inches of lift, some good all terrains, and a 5 speed dual range swap it's been that much better. Honestly I mainly just do remote camping (places the family's in minivans can't get to) with it though, with the hard off roading limited now (I still bounce it off a big rock here and there though). I want it to last, and even though I still see a few here and there in the JY near me, I know parts are drying up. I used to just beat on it relentlessly though. You might do good with an EA82 (As in 85 to 90? wagon, I forget when that body cut off) wagon and do the EJ swap. Parts still easier to find in the junkyard, still a lighter body than the Legacy, get one with the dual range trans already in it, and swap in the power of a modern engine. Edited February 12, 2012 by TeamCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uwjberg Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thanks for the reply. How involved is the EJ22 swap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 and old dual range GL is lighter and more capable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 If I'm not mistaken you can get a GL/Loyale wagon up to 94. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj7291993 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thanks for the reply. How involved is the EJ22 swap? Well, haven't done it yet, due to time and money, but I've heard it's fairly simple. Better if you are comfortable with wiring. Numbchux has a nice little writeup on his site regarding this. You may want to keep in mind that, if you get a carbureted car, you'll have to swap in an FI pump, unless you plan on converting you EJ22 to a carb. Also, I'm no expert, but it seems like I've heard that the dual-range was not available in the Loyals (90's GLs), but I could be wrong (haha, wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKghandi Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 How many people do you wanna haul with it? If its just for some camping stuff find a hatchie (80?-87 2 door hatchback with 4 speed dual range)usually you can find them pretty cheap. If you want to haul some people get a 86+wagon I'd go with the turbo if that's possible. The extra power helps turn bigger tires or do the ej swap. I don't know a lot about legacies but I do know if you get one go for the 4at auto there's a mod that locks the center diff and the torque converter helps with low speeds. Or you can put in a ea82 5 speed dual range. short story long; what ever you get, it will do what ever you need it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I vote for GL, as they are lighter, smaller, and naturally more suited, and less to cry about over dents and scratches. To even the argument, a Legacy with a dual range, or a GL with an ej22. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uwjberg Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thanks for all the feedback. This prompts a few noob questions: Were the Loyales available with the dual range? The dual range is only the manual trans, right? Are there different/better options for the auto trans? Any reliability concerns with the turbo setup versus the EJ for example? Tell me more about the Legacy center diff locking mod - that means all four wheels are locked? Or just that 4WD is engaged full time? Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKghandi Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) Im not sure if the loyales 90+ came with the d/r but they are easy to swap The turbos a comPlicated beast although mine gave me 6k hard boosted miles before one of the sensors went out and you can make some power with one If you've got an extra grand go for the ej swap it's pretty straight forward from what I've read Also as far as the autos are concerned the 3eat is ok I guess but it's pretty sluggish on a n/a motor but it does give true 4x4 Now the 4eat which came in the legacies is awd (could have only one tire spinning) with the center diff mod it becomes 4x4 (equal power to the front And back) Personally I'd go with an ea82 wagon 2 inch lift and some 27s One of our members has a nice example of this his username is; the dude abides Edited February 12, 2012 by AKghandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6 Star Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Loyales only had 5speed stick with single range 4wd, or 3speed auto with push button 4wd. Of course both auto and stick had fwd models as well. Dual range is only on manual trannies. ea81s had 4 speed dual range and ea82s (up to 1989 [end of the gl's]) had 5 speed dual range. The turbo ea82s that were auto had 4at vs 3at (I think) plus full time awd in some cases. People will tell you that ea82turbos are way less reliable than ej's. I personally don't have experience with ea82t's, but given the choice I would go with an ej22. More power and all motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 The GL's have a much better turning radius. I find it makes all the difference when offroading on tight trails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Subi4x4 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Do a GL with a D/R. either do what oneye does at put a EA81 motor in, or if you want to get more power do a EJ22 swap it is easy with an you will need a D/R tranny adapter, and I would say the wiring is the hardest part. but there is many people who have done it and could help you with the wiring if you don't know how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyfun Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Depends on if you want to be able to crawl or not. A Legacy has quite a bit more power but lacks the low crawl gear. HOWEVER, they often have lower diff gearing, and those help push tall tires. An EA82 will be lighter, have a low-range option, and a very tight turn radius. They will have significantly less power, though, and have less room for taller tires. Plus you'll have to mod some toyota rims or restud your hubs if you want to run a rim larger than 13". Also, a good EA82 is becoming tough to find, whereas there are an increasing number of Legacies for sale. If I had to do it again, I would just get a beat up Legacy with a good EJ22, swap in an ea82 dual range trans (they are a dime a dozen), and do a lift and tires. Then you won't be fighting with an EJ22 swap, just a trans swap, and your fender wells will better accommodate tall tires. A few weeks ago on CL someone had a '96 Outback with a bad auto trans for $600, kicking myself for not jumping on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Then you won't be fighting with an EJ22 swap, just a trans swap, and your fender wells will better accommodate tall tires. A few weeks ago on CL someone had a '96 Outback with a bad auto trans for $600, kicking myself for not jumping on it. A D/R swap into a Legacy is almost more work/money than putting an EJ into an old GL/Loyale. You still need an adapter plate, redrilled flywheel.....plus a lengthened driveline, modified shifter (depends on lift size) and either split the D/R and put 25 spline stubs in it, or get 23 spline FWD impreza axles. Plus lifts for a Legacy are more expensive (at least mine are:brow:) And for wheel well clearance......either car will need trimming to fit a 28" or bigger. And the legacy struts have low spring perches that limit tire size to about 26.5" with stock struts, about 29-30" with Outback struts. In contrast, there are EA82s with 30+ tires on them. I personally would go EA82 chassis with an EJ18 or EJ22 swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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