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86 to 88 engine/trans swap/rebuild question

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I have an 86 4 banger parts wagon and a 88 daily driver GL10. I am thinking about pulling the 86 motor (non-turbo) and rebuilding it over the winter to put in the 88 turbo. Are these the same blocks/heads or are they different??

 

Can you rebuild a non-turbo motor to work on a turbo car??

 

Also the 86 has the low-range 5spd 4wd and the 88 has the non low-range 5spd 4wd so I wanted to swap those as well and put the 86 low range into the 88?? Can I put the low-range 5speed from the 86 non-turbo 4cyl on the 88 turbo 4cyl that currently has the 5spd 4wd without low-range?? Man, did I confuse the heck out of that question or what:banghead: :lol:

I have an 86 4 banger parts wagon and a 88 daily driver GL10. I am thinking about pulling the 86 motor (non-turbo) and rebuilding it over the winter to put in the 88 turbo. Are these the same blocks/heads or are they different??

 

Can you rebuild a non-turbo motor to work on a turbo car??

 

Also the 86 has the low-range 5spd 4wd and the 88 has the non low-range 5spd 4wd so I wanted to swap those as well and put the 86 low range into the 88?? Can I put the low-range 5speed from the 86 non-turbo 4cyl on the 88 turbo 4cyl that currently has the 5spd 4wd without low-range?? Man, did I confuse the heck out of that question or what:banghead: :lol:

Yes, you can rebuild the block out of the '86 and stuff it into the '88. You have to use your turbo heads as they are different from the carb'd heads. The carb'd block has a higher compression ratio than the turbo block so there are some things to think about. Read about some of them here and use the search tool to find out more. You can also swap trannys but you will need to swap the rear diffs out as well. Again different ratios. Along with the front axels (different spline count) and also interior peices to acommodate the d/r shifter. You can download some of the ea-82 Factory Service Manual. It's the best resource for our cars, along with the USMB of course. Remember, the search tool is your friend. Good luck.

Id swap in the 86 as is and rebuild the turbo motor over the winter :brow:

Got to agree with Morgan, If you are planning to do much with this car, you are going to want the extra ponies. (Trust Me) And these Roo's are not long on power anyway. Just long on FUN:banana:

 

Shaun...DaGodfada:brow:

  • Author
Got to agree with Morgan, If you are planning to do much with this car, you are going to want the extra ponies. (Trust Me) And these Roo's are not long on power anyway. Just long on FUN:banana:

 

Shaun...DaGodfada:brow:

And I am not certain I NEED to rebuild it but I would like to atleast overhaul it. What would you guys do....270k but runs great. It leaks oil kind of bad but doesnt smoke?? No weird noises, just a little cutting out here and there but I just went and bought new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor for 40.00 bucks from my buddy at NAPA.:D So Im kind of thinking maybe just pulling it out, putting in the D/R from the 86, new clutch, and overhaul the EA82T while its out??

 

So, if I just do an overhaul, what all should I do??

 

It is awesome to finally find a forum with knowledgeable people that really know what they are talking about!! This site is awesome!!!

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