Just curious if I could use parts out of a 96 Legacy Outback in a 95 Impreza to convert it to awd. Only reason asking I can pick up a clean Impreza for next to nothing and I already have the Legacy sitting in the weeds at the house.

Thanks in advance

You can, it's not all going to be exactly the same, but most should be close enough.

 

I know the driveshaft will not be the same length. And the gas tank will most likely not be identical (that's not to say it can't be made to work, but probably won't be a direct swap).

 

Outback suspension will be taller, may or may not be what you're going for. Probably have to swap the Impreza rear strut tops onto the Outback struts.

 

Brake cables will probably be longer than necessary (need to swap to correctly do the drum-to-disc conversion, which I think all FWD Imprezas were rear drum, and the Outback will definitely be disc), but some creative routing will probably get around that. Or don't have an ebrake.

 

The FWD Impreza might have 13" wheels ('93-'94 definitely...), which may or may not clear the rear discs. But if you've got a donor car and using the taller suspension, the stock wheels/tires on the Outback will be fine. Swap the larger front brakes on there while you're at it.

Thanks for the info. I figured a lot of it would bolt up but wasn't for sure. Also Impreza is auto and Outback it 5 speed. Is there already knockouts there for clutch pedal? And is this gonna be more of a pain than it's worth in your opinion?

Something to consider before taking apart the running impreza.  If you get it.  Which even just in 2wd they are great durable little cars.  The EJ18 is bulletproof.

 

 

I would bet if the Outback is an Ohio car that's been sitting in the weeds, you are gonna have alot of trouble with rust and broken bolts.  The Imp being 2wd might have been less salt exposed.  I would seriously check the condition of the rear crossmember and the structure on both cars where it bolts in.  Check rear strut towers too.  You may need to slot/widen holes for the rear tophat.  I think the OB ones may be larger pattern.

 

If the rust is bad on either car the whole project could turn into a nightmare.

 

If neither car is too rusty, and you think you can get the rear subframe and rear struts out, having AWD and the added height from the OB woudl be worth doing in my opinion, if you have the time and desire.

 

 

Oh and yes all the clutch pedal parts would swap over

Edited June 27, 20178 yr by Gloyale

Yes I am in the rust belt but believe it or not the outback is pretty clean underneath. Only been in weeds for past month or so I got it cheap and pulled the ej22 and put in my other outback that the ej25 hg went on. I have all the space and tools and well pretty much anything I'd need, except maybe time lol thanks again for all the helpful information

 

I'm digging the idea of a Impreza sitting at outback height. And I've always heard ej18 are great motors. Reason car is so cheap is owner now has put a lot of money and parts in it trying to cure a loss of power problem. Says he notices it going up hills. Almost sounds to me like a clogged cat (have any suggestions?), but for no more than what I'll have in it I could part it out and still come out on top. I have all intentions of figuring out what's going on and driving it for a while before I make my mind up on the swap.

Edited June 27, 20178 yr by Loyale#1

Well I went and looked at the car this evening. Seemed to idle alright, no cel which I thought was odd because they already cut the cat off. When the key is turned on engine off the cel comes up on dash but goes away when engine is started. I'd say rear separator plate is leaking, went for a test drive and got back and smoke just pouring out from under hood oil all over y pipe. Also engine oil was overfull. Looked to be a quart or so. There was a new filter on it so maybe they added too much? And crank pulley was wobbling. I've never had one that the crank pulley wobbled on. So what's the fix for that? New pulley? New woodruff key? anyway that could of ruined the crankshaft? Other than those issues trans slipped a little, it felt way under powered. Could it just be a few teeth out of time? Wobbling pulley cause it to jump time?

Definitely look very closely into the wobbling front pulley. May just be the rubber is separating the outer and inner hub. May be spider monkeys have been wrenching on it and who knows what is botched. If the crank bolt wasn't tightened properly after a belt job, (increasingly more common) there may be crank damage. 

another concern based on your findings - suppose someone got confused draining/filling fluids and the diff is dry or ?????

Diff was low but not dry. Only thing that really bothered me was the wobbling crank pulley.

most common issue as mentioned above, loose due to low torque when replaced after TB system service.

 

known but less common is as said above also, it's a 2-piece pulley and the rubber between sections can degrade.

 

either way, it should be addressed. new OEM are kinda pricey, consider a Perrin aftermarket lightweight pulley if yours is bad.

Rock Auto, 45 bucks. 

wow - didn't know that, cool!

I have a pulley off a ej25. Same pulley?