Got a 1980 (11/79) GL wagon for FREE! The wagon is 2WD and has the famous automatic transmission. This has the EA81 motor. How much more HP is there in the EA81 from the EA71 motor? Thinking of putting the 1800 in my 78' 4X4 wagon. Will she bolt right in? Body on the 80 wagon is straight and has no rust to speak of. Can't decide if the engine swap would be worth it. Any ideas?...Thanks...

i think to mount an 1800 in a 70's wagon you would need the crossmember from a gen 1 brat with an 1800 motor or fab one up yourself. i think that x-member could be found in some 80 and 81 brats. not sure about rear driveshafts, probobly want to get that from the brat too. horsepower gain is about 10 hp. i honestly didn't notice much difference between my 1600 hatch and my 1800 hatch. i converted a 2wd 1980 1800cc hatch to 4wd. that's what i would do with your wagon. i was glad i did it, but either way, it's all doable.