testy Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 Well after two wonderfull loyales its time to change. Im finallizing a deal on a Subaru XT this weekend. Its completely stock. 1987 Subaru XT -Turbo -5mt -4x4 -Adjustable Air Susp. -17x xxx Kms. Apparently its 99.9 percent rust free and Im most likely going to buy it as soon as I see it tomorrow. Now on to the questions. I know all the information on swapping EJ series motors into EA82 Loyales. Is it all the same for the XT? Im not going to waste my time building up the ea82T (this may stroke a few peeps the wrong way here) but it just isnt worth it. Basically Im looking for people with feedback on doing a WRX drivetrain swap into a XT. Or at least a motor swap. Im not afraid to bangs stuff to make it fit, as long as I know it will fit. Also, the Adjustable suspension is stuck on the low position. What are the recomended aftermarket choices. Thanks again ladies and gentlement. Your wisdom is always appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 all I can say is about the air suspension....swap it to coil over...the air can be a bugger to get working again or expensive to replace. Plus the coil over will stiffen the car up. go to http://subaruxt.com/forum for all your XT needs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 yeah check us out at the XT forum. it was originally an XT6 forum, but encompasses many XT's as well, plus the XT6 has air suspension as well so it's a very common topic over there. what you do with the suspension will greatly depend on if you're keeping the stock EA82 4 lug or swapping to 5 lug. if you keep the EA82 suspension then really any EA82 suspension swaps right over to your XT. just about any Subaru motor will fit in your XT, not counting the 6 cylinders although they may fit as well depending. the biggest help will be if yours is the 1987.5 variety XT, manufactured 1/87 or later. if it's a late 86 manufacture date but is listed as a 1987 model then you'll have less room to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testy Posted November 9, 2007 Author Share Posted November 9, 2007 Good advice. Ill be keeping the 4 lug for the winter, since i got new snow tires on a set of pugs right now. Then Ill be lookin at the 5 lug swap and run some 16" wheels to go with my Falcon Z512s. The Air susp. is only stuck down in the rear. So I may just want to brake the front so its down too so at least its even. Anyone done that? Thanks for the link, that site didnt come up with any google searches yesterday. My username on the XT site will be " Dantes Inferno ". I guess Ill just have to wait to find out to see if the car is 87.5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 If the air suspension is flat front and rear, say good bye to your kidneys Been there, done that. The swap is very straight forward and easy. Almost all EA82 front struts and rear shocks fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Dave Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 Mine Had a broken hose between the struts let all the air out. 15 minutes to replace the hose & it works again. If you have no air you can't drive because yopu'll have no suspension. I don't see enough room for a 6 cyl. Mine is pretty tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testy Posted November 9, 2007 Author Share Posted November 9, 2007 I dont plan on putting a 6cyl in it. ej25t might be a nice fit though. I guess ill have to grab the susp. off the loyale before it leaves for the xt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 My username on the XT site will be " Dantes Inferno ". you're membership is all approved and ready to roll. welcome aboard and see you over there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 Mine Had a broken hose between the struts let all the air out. 15 minutes to replace the hose & it works again. If you have no air you can't drive because yopu'll have no suspension. I don't see enough room for a 6 cyl. Mine is pretty tight. Many have driven without the suspension..riding on the bump stops...but not very enjoyable from what I understand..like Turbone said...dont plan on keeping your kidneys if you do. My XT came from the factory with a 6 cyl in it;) fits just nice a cozy too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testy Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 Well Im a F'in fool. I guess I trust people too much. The car had bad camber in the back but I wasnt too worried about that. I just thought it was a bad bit in the rear susp I could easily swap from my loyale. Well no. I bought the car and drove it home. Looks and drives real nice. Some body work done. Anyway...... The bottom of the car is pretty rusted out. I trusted the fact he said it was in super good shape and got ************ed. The rear cross member is split down the center, bent, someone tried to do a ghetto angle iron fix. And Ill have to wait till I get some good light, but I think the car is done where the rear crossmember is bolted to the rest of the frame as well. 1200 Down the drain. He wont answer his phone anymore. I havent put the car in my name yet so maybe there is still something I can do. If there is nothing I can do at least I have a turbo ea82 and tranny with under 180 000 kms on them, set of sub alloys, and gear for rear disk convert. Too bad I dont have the time or storage till around febuary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Check your state for lemon laws. Not sure how it applies to Private Sellers, but you maybe able to get your money back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodaka Rider Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Or grab your nearest "Guido" type friend and go over there and "strongly suggest" that he give you a full refund - or else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testy Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 Or grab your nearest "Guido" type friend and go over there and "strongly suggest" that he give you a full refund - or else. If I still lived in Squamish, maybe. But I bought the car in Surrey from an Eastern block dude. Not dealing with them too rough. Heres a few photos. Ill get a better look at it in the morning. I need to get a better look at the area of the 4th picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Yeah, this lesson is the suck. Luckily I watched a friend learn it, so I've been spared. He bought a 1999 Toyota Tacoma limited, sunroof, rear locker, 5spd, V6, you name it the truck had it. Looked beautiful, body was in great shape, ran awesome, paid good money for it. Drove it around untill the frame folded climbing a snowbank. Patched to together, and sold it to a canadian guy for 3k less than he paid and told the guy about the frame. Sucks for someone working a $10 an hour job to loose 3k in a month. ALWAYS CHECK THE UNDERSIDE. Now, for the bright side. Your loyale's rear crossmember will bolt into the XT's rear end. You can make patch plates to go over the rear floorpan corners to fix that mounting point. Any place that looks rusty, poke it with a screwdriver. Weld everything you can. You will need to strip the carpets out of the interior, and keep a bottle of water handy, the car will catch fire while you're welding it. You got hosed for 1,200. I can't say what I'd do in your situation. My friends term that behavior as "he's getting beligerant". See if you can find a legal remedy for the situation, like if it's legal to sell a car that's uninspectable in your state. Some states make you list a car as "for parts or salvage" on the title and bill of sale if it's not inspectable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testy Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 Yeah, this lesson is the suck. Luckily I watched a friend learn it, so I've been spared. He bought a 1999 Toyota Tacoma limited, sunroof, rear locker, 5spd, V6, you name it the truck had it. Looked beautiful, body was in great shape, ran awesome, paid good money for it. Drove it around untill the frame folded climbing a snowbank. Patched to together, and sold it to a canadian guy for 3k less than he paid and told the guy about the frame. Sucks for someone working a $10 an hour job to loose 3k in a month. ALWAYS CHECK THE UNDERSIDE. Now, for the bright side. Your loyale's rear crossmember will bolt into the XT's rear end. You can make patch plates to go over the rear floorpan corners to fix that mounting point. Any place that looks rusty, poke it with a screwdriver. Weld everything you can. You will need to strip the carpets out of the interior, and keep a bottle of water handy, the car will catch fire while you're welding it. You got hosed for 1,200. I can't say what I'd do in your situation. My friends term that behavior as "he's getting beligerant". See if you can find a legal remedy for the situation, like if it's legal to sell a car that's uninspectable in your state. Some states make you list a car as "for parts or salvage" on the title and bill of sale if it's not inspectable. Unfortunatly in canada things are pretty lax. Thanks for the words. These cars are so hard to find I really dont want to get rid of it. Considering it has low mileage and a good body/interior. Everything works except the air suspension. Its exactly what I want minus the rusty crap in the back end. Im starting to feel better. The rust is so localized I think a good metal guy will be able to reproduce the parts that are shot. I hope so anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 you may be able to get a rust free carcass from down here in the US (like seattle or portland) and then transfer all your stuff over (engine, trans, <cough> vin <cough> and interior to it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testy Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 True. For the hassle I may as well just part it out into a decent loyale from here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 how did you pay for it? if you financed it, the finance company or bank may be on your side. If you sold a kidney, try and get it back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I too am dealing with a rusty underbody XT6...mine is more local to the front uni-body frame rails...Now you make me want to just double check those points too.. I am planning on having mine fixed. Looks like someone tried to fix that cross member once before. Check where your seat belts attach to the floor pans..that is another common rust point. I have seen much worse and still being driven..but I honestly think a good metal guy can do something.. Dont give up hope...these are tough cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 If just the mounting points are still good, all that rusted stuff can be replaced in an afternoon using air tools. A few summers ago I pulled the complete rear assembly out from under a wrecking yard car in 3 hours using just hand tools and on my back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testy Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 I can totally have the rear assembly out of my loyale in a couple hours. But I live in a townhouse complex on a hill. And its pooring rain. 2 / 3 of my cars are parked illegally on the road out front. Already got a ticket last week for one. The only legal car I have out there is a ************ty 88 VW Fox, quite interesting history btw....... they run with aircooled boxers in South America. Some serious potential for morphing cars. Anyway... Im gonna have someone look at it tonight who knows their stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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