i picked up a 81 brat and dont know what all is different from the 79. i noticed the engine isnt a direct bolt on...

81 GL's were the only Gen 1 that came with the EA81 and 4 speed D/R. They have the same drivetrain as the EA81 Gen II body's, and a different (and rare) front cross member to allow the EA81 to fit.

 

GD

would i ba able to just drop my cross member and put it under the 79? i wanna get it swaped asap. (the brat i just got isnt leagle and will cost me $$$ to make it leagle. it runs great and the front axles and hubs are good. (oh and the rear is locked:lol: )

Pretty much - but the steering rack has to be swapped at the same time (it's married to the cross-member in a non-trivial way), and I've never done one, but I suspect you may have to swap the steering column or parts of it.

 

You realize that you have to swap the ENTIRE drivetrain right? Including the transmission, and I'm pretty sure the rear diff as well (could be wrong on that tho). Some of the linkage bits, and such. Probably the exhaust, transmission cross-member etc, etc.

 

It's not a trivial swap. It's a major gutting of both cars, and reinstalling everything. You are also going to be dealing with electrical stuff as the 81 will have an electronic distributor, and the 79 will probably be points/condensor. Not sure how well it will all mesh, but there are always headaches with this sort of thing.

 

GD

i see. pulling the egines should be the only slow part tho. i work pretty fast. and if i do have to trade the rear diff. it wont bug me cause the 81 is locked (welded) and the throughout bearing is good in the 81 also. as well as the dash, carpet, seats, seat belts, pretty much the body is scrap metal (not even a crack in the windsheild) so i know what im gettin into now. i guess i will pull the ea71 engine and tranny and roll it back out then part the ea81 and cut it into scraps...

just unbolt the whole front subframe from the '81, unbolt the front subframe from your '79 and swap them. Its easy. Only thing is, remember what GD said about the wiring. If you are calm enough, you can unsnake the wiring from the '81 and snake it into your '79. So then you'll have all the wiring for the tranny, engine, and the GL cluster on the '81 with no hassles, unless the wiring harness in the '81 is FUBAR'd. It would take about a day to swap it all starting early in the morning and working late into the night. They're pretty easy to tear down and put back together, especially when you have a friend helping:headbang:

huh. the 81 doesnt look too different. i pulled the ea71 and the freeze plugs blew again:mad: im thinkin about makin a go-cart with it:headbang: after my ru is done. thanks for your help guys. i mean it. i still gotta go find that stolen hatch...