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Tranny swap check before I purchase a DR 5-speed


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I have an opportunity to buy and remove myself a dual-range 5-speed tranny from an 89 GL wagon that I want for my 87 DL 5-speed wagon. The donor car appears to still have all of the center console parts that I would need to make it complete and look like the wagon came that way. From what I understand, it appears this swap should be fairly straight forward but my DL vs GL  knowledge when it comes to drive trains is nil. My DL is stock and has the SPFI EA82 and has rear drums if that matters. I wonder if the e-brake hardware has a different arrangement or if the 4WD push-button shifter is different for any reason. Little details I sometimes miss. Is the rear axle ratio a possible issue? Neither vehicle is a turbo. Thanks for any tips provided.

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If an AUDM EA82 had mpfi, their boxes got 25 spline outputs for the front stubs. I doubt spfi got the upgrade. Really best to put the diff ratio check on yourself especially after 35 years of possible changes by owners/repairers etc. Most rear diffs still have the ratio sticker visible - after a good clean up. r

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Take the console and matching shifter etc if you can. 

As Steptoe said, grab the rear diff to be sure about having the correct ratio. 

The ‘87 could be a 3.9 ratio depending on whether it’s a series 1 or series 2 (“facelift”). The ‘89 will be 3.7 ratio. 

Cheers 

Bennie

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Nope, assuming both are USDM cars with original equipment (you give no reason to suspect otherwise), they will be 23 spline 3.9 ratio rear diff. 25 spline and 3.7 were reserved for Turbos.

I don't know about the shifter stuff. I put a GL console in my Loyale, but I used a Legacy ebrake handle.

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Thanks for the swap tips but the opportunity is gone. It's a 2-hour drive to the junk yard from my home and $100 in gas so I called to be sure of the business hours today. They told me they crushed the car 3 days ago on Tuesday.:angry:

I offered to buy the entire car for $1000 last Friday but told them I could not get there until today as I was over 1700 miles away from work. They refused to sell the car as a whole (probably salvage title or none maybe) so I told them I would be there in less than a week to buy a bunch of parts off it. 

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a wrecker did that to me some years back with an EA81 TW

 I was buying bits off it as time and coin allowed. He crushed it with a nice gearbox, fuel tank, touring wagon digital dash and many other bits.

He was preparing to close the business and taking things in order as they sat, to the on-site crusher.

 

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Many are living for that next "thirty Pack" as well.   Although Bud Light might be a little less popular right now.  Darn if someone was offering a G for a pile, sitting near the Crusher, I would have chiseled off, and kept  the VIN plates if there was no title.     

Edited by newmexguy
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It's been my luck lately. I've been looking for some replacement door panels and a guy on one of the FB Subaru groups has them listed for sale but he is in Washington state and won't ship to Arizona. I offered to pay his asking price and any shipping fees but no deal. I have a family member who lives 30-minutes away who he agreed to meet halfway but now the seller is not replying when I'm trying to arrange the sale. His ad is still up and it's been almost a month since I've heard from him. I'm trying one more time to reach him before I just go out and find some brown cloth and learn how to do the job myself.

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19 hours ago, azdave said:

I have a family member who lives 30-minutes away who he agreed to meet halfway but now the seller is not replying when I'm trying to arrange the sale.

Get the family member to organise the deal ;) 

Or the seller is on holiday/out of town for work, I’ve had this but not the lack of communication. 

Cheers 

Bennie

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  • 5 weeks later...

Nuts.  NO way to run a side gig.  I've never made enough selling parts to make it a primary gig, but I sure wouldn't stiff or ignore a customer like that.  Simply would keep the communication lines open, and let them know it will take some time, due to primary Job committments.   

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