...and out a RS

 

Just finished the '96 Brighton conversion. A learning experience for sure considerring I am an old skooler for sure.

 

Resealed the motor and added a lightened flywheel to the mix. A 4.11/1 5sp from a Legacy along with the rear disc brakes. That conversion was even easier than the EA's. New GR2's with WRX springs along with a rear sway bar. Which may need to be upgraded as it seems a bit small. Happy so far but I have an appointment with the exhaust guy and then to get it tuned a little better.

Awesome!

sounds cool!

sounds cool!

 

Actually, the muffler it has on it is crap, it sounds terrible.

 

 

 

Should sound just fine by the weekend.

Looking forward to seeing it this weekend. You do need to udate your vehicle list though.

is there more information on the rear disc brake swap? i'd like to do the same on my impreza.

So, is this a car for the wife, a daily driver, one more for the fold, a practice car to get wrenching experience on new generation vehicles, or for resale?

RallyX car:brow:

He came over to my place last night after he got the valves adj. I havent seen him this excited in a while:clap:

is there more information on the rear disc brake swap? i'd like to do the same on my impreza.

The brake swap is a simple bolt on replacement, but don't forget the cables from the rear brakes to the e-brake handle, they are different, but still simply replace the ones that are there now.

Go and get a 18mm rear swaybar from an Outback, unless that's the one that you already put it. This made a nice improvement in my legacy until I found a 22mm from whiteline.

.....or a 20mm bar off a WRX. Many owners are practically giving them away.

.....or a 20mm bar off a WRX. Many owners are practically giving them away.

 

Legacy sway bars have additional bends to clear the spare tire carrier, that impreza sway bars do not have. The latest generation of Impreza swaybars may work but I have not looked into this.

quick question.....how did you get the long bolt out of the control arms and the small bolt at the bottem of the spindle (the one for the bar that goes forward)? I got rear discs for my impreza and I am having a heck of a time getting things apart. (i've been spraying WD-40 on it in 12 hr intervals for 3 days now)

 

Advise please!!!!

If it's anything like mine....the blue wrench and replacement bolts are gonna be needed.

 

Jay Storm

Legacy sway bars have additional bends to clear the spare tire carrier, that impreza sway bars do not have. The latest generation of Impreza swaybars may work but I have not looked into this.

 

WRX sways bolt right on Craig. I've put 20s on both of ours. It looks like there's a 17 mm on there right now. It's a huge difference when you upgrade to the 20. I've tried the 13, 17, and 20 on my wagon. More rump roast happy the better for rally x.

WRX sways bolt right on Craig. I've put 20s on both of ours. It looks like there's a 17 mm on there right now. It's a huge difference when you upgrade to the 20. I've tried the 13, 17, and 20 on my wagon. More rump roast happy the better for rally x.

 

They must of change them then. A couple of years back, I tried to fit a sway bar from my friend's 98RS and it would not clear and there was an obvious difference when we compared his to a legacy sway bar.

I should have been a little more informative. I have an Impreza Brighton so all Impreza bars bolt right in.

proportionating valve?????? did you have to change it or do anything differently? or was this a straight swap of parts? I had a conversation with someone today and they said the brakes will drag if it is not changed... but I would rather hear it from someone who has done the swap.

I didn't change the proportioning valve. I was told by a couple of Subaru techs with many more years of experience than me that it wasn't neccessary. I don't notice any drag.

 

Ask them why it would drag. I mean the brakes have to do the same thing either way. Push the pedal the shoes/pads apply. Release the pedal and the pads/shoes release. Am I missing something?

I thought the same thing but I had a 20 min cell phone arguement with my independant subaru shop owner today. I thought the same as you....and I plan to go ahead with the job asap. Did you change the hubs too or do the parts (backing plate and all that stuff) just swap over? I haven't torn mine apart but they look very similar and if i don't have to pull the long bolt from hell out then it should be an easy and quick swap. Thanks for the info.

 

Matt

It's not the proportioning valves you have to worry about, it's the metering valves. With a disk/drum system, the drums have springs that have to be overcome before braking while the disks do not. so there are valves that hold the pressure off the disks untill the drums are activated, it works off of line pressure. So the rear brakes will end up doing more than their share if you leave the metering valves in.

 

That's the theory. If the brakes work fine, F'it and don't worry.

well I did my conversion tonight.... it was a long night let me tell ya. My biggest problem was the stupid brake hoses...they didn't want to come loose. Thank God for air tools too...without them I'd be screwed.

 

 

how does it drive????? can't tell ya.....I didn't have anyone to help bleed the brakes and I don't have a hand pump so I drove it home about 9 miles with no brakes (don't worry it was midnight and I took all back roads and I only saw one car the whole trip). What I can tell you is that the hand brake works pretty good though.

 

 

Hope to bleed the brakes tomorrow after the wife gets home and we will see how it works...

 

 

FYI, those long bolts on the suspension cost me $33 each and the nut that goes on them..... $9.70 each....needless to say I didn't need them so they are going back in the morning (just trying to be prepared you know...)

Cool. I didn't have trouble with the bolts when I did the brakes. I had previously installed a sway bar and had all the fun I wanted with them then.

 

Note on bleeding the brakes. When you are by yourself do a gravity bleed and it will get most of the air out. Not all of it but enough to drive it, carefully.

All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This car is fun and fast. Perfect power 6 and a beautiful cat-back exhaust were the finishing touches.

Perfect power 6 whats that????

 

is your car a 2.2 or a 1.8?