just watched all of the new walker valley clips and i'm itchin' to get out. i've got a question.... can i put a dual-range tranny in my single range 1983 wagon. i was told by one gut that he didnt think it would go because of where the starter sits. he says its higher on the 81, and more off to the side on the 82. it looks like there is enough clearance, but maybe someone has done this swap or could'nt do this for the mentioned reason.

 

one more thing. will a welded rear end cut it at walker, or will i NEED to have the d/r first? i've been to evans creek a bunch of times w/ just superswampers, cut fenders, no lift and had a great time cuz theres a bunch of mixed trails to use, but i've never been to walker valley. i live in arlington now, and it seems like the closest legal place to go.

 

thanks for any info that comes my way.

one more thing. will a welded rear end cut it at walker, or will i NEED to have the d/r first? .

 

I would say you need both, but I would guess you need the D/R first.

 

Walker is quite difficult for a Subaru.

 

Not enough power or clutch to handle the steep climbs and without a locked axle, you wouldn't get far. The Toyotas didn't do too bad with open diffs, but they have more acticulation, and kept their tires on the ground better. A Subaru doesn't have much articulation, so open diffs are a problem sooner.

 

I wish you well, and hope to see your soob on the trail soon.

 

Rollie

I would say you need both, but I would guess you need the D/R first.

 

Walker is quite difficult for a Subaru.

 

Not enough power or clutch to handle the steep climbs and without a locked axle, you wouldn't get far. The Toyotas didn't do too bad with open diffs, but they have more acticulation, and kept their tires on the ground better. A Subaru doesn't have much articulation, so open diffs are a problem sooner.

 

I wish you well, and hope to see your soob on the trail soon.

 

Rollie

 

i figured i would need both for there. we got pretty far at evans creek, but we were limited by no welded rears. we got some great pics, and if i ever figure out how to post pics here, i'll put'em up.

just welded mine.......goes anywhere so far.

just welded mine.......goes anywhere so far.

good to hear. gonna repost about my d/r swap tho, no hits on that subject yet.

If you have an EA-81 either the 4mt DR or the 5MT will work, the 5MT is prefered as it has a better low range, and an overdrive, which you won't need much with the big tires, but its nice on downhill runs.

If you have an EA-81 either the 4mt DR or the 5MT will work, the 5MT is prefered as it has a better low range, and an overdrive, which you won't need much with the big tires, but its nice on downhill runs.

 

cool, good to hear as the tranny goes into 4wd easy, but tuff to get back out. the dreadded "THUNK" when going back to 2wd.! i know i've got to replace it sooner rather than later, so i'll look for the 5mt model. thanks!

cool, good to hear as the tranny goes into 4wd easy, but tuff to get back out. the dreadded "THUNK" when going back to 2wd.! i know i've got to replace it sooner rather than later, so i'll look for the 5mt model. thanks!

 

hey s.i.b, i was wanting to contact you regarding a trip w/ you guys this winter. i'll be getting my d/r set up done soon now that i have a better grip on what i need to get. i do custom metal fabrication and build bumpers and the like. i'm located in arlington and would love to meet up sometime, maybe you can help me w/ welding up my diff?

I found it always helps to push in the clutch whenever your going into or out of 4WD.

Also, make sure that your tires are the same size, when i bought my car, it had 175's on the front, and 185's on the rear

seems like thats the popular thing to do with soobies noah. I had 3 this week come into my shop with that type of tire mismatch.

 

IDIOTS!

I found it always helps to push in the clutch whenever your going into or out of 4WD.

 

clutch? whats that? it looks like there has been a pretty good leak from the shaft that controls the 4x4(underneath the car), thats why i'd rather replace the tranny than try to fix it, since it will not be enough for harder off roading.

 

thanks for the clutch-pointer though!!