Would this be a good swap for minor offroad but mostly snow and road? I'm thinking one inch lift body lift, drilled solid aluminum blocks and shims, pugs but slim tires or redrills and an ej and ej trans.

 

I'm looking to get a slimmer road car while I do my first swap into my lifted wagon but I need a daily. I want something clean, but fun and able to upgrade. I cant find a clean 4wd ea81 to save my life, affordably. I can find 2wd models.

 

So my thinking is, off setting the added weight of the tranny by increasing the width of the wheel base, adding girth to the tunnel but giving it a lift but not too much and adding good horsepower hopefully increasing mileage even with a lift. I would love to do a complete legacy swap but my skills are lacking in the welding/ machining department. The rest I believe is up to my capabilities. Even if it was a coupe it would be fun.

 

In the end I would like two swaps one lifted fitted for offroad, dirty and one lowered, street ready, clean. I think its possible. I think I would have to lift a 2wd to get the awd tranny in. Should I just wait to find a 4wd or auto (working, clean) or get a clean restorable 2wd, around a grand.

EA81's are not as easy as EA82's to swap. The transmission tunnel sheet metal is different and needs modification if there is no lift going in. Also the 2WD's did not have the gas tank with clearance for the diff so the whole tank has to be changed unless you go with more than 6" of lift to the rear diff.

 

With some beating you can fit a 4WD transmission in but it's easier if you add some 1" spacers to the trans cross-member.

 

As for the AWD/EJ swap - you need to make new 25 spline axles useing the DOJ's from an early 90's 2WD legacy or impreza on the EA81 axle shafts.

 

GD

Hmm, turbo ea81 gas tanks are quite hard to find. I forgot about the gas tank. Will the awd/ej tranny fit in a 4wd with out a lift? The axles are doable.

There is no difference between the turbo and non-turbo EA81 gas tanks. There are 4 gas tank models - 2WD long wheel base (coupe, brat, wagon, sedan), 4WD long wheel base, 2WD short wheel base (hatch), and 4WD short wheel base.

 

GD

I thought the turbo tanks were baffled.

I thought the turbo tanks were baffled.

 

That is true, but as far as size they are all the same. The baffling isn't neccesary as you can overcome the same problem with a surge tank - a lot easier than finding a turbo tank and you don't have to change the tank (really not a pleasant job). Unless of course you need the 4WD diff clearance - then you are changing the tank - have fun with that dirty job. Not one I'll be doing again if I can help it.

 

GD

Edited May 27, 200916 yr by GeneralDisorder

I'm actually sitting on one, well, in my driveway and when its installed, I'll have an extra 4wd one.:banana:cheers to hard work!

 

I might have found a 4wd ea81 though.......

I might have found a 4wd ea81 though.......

 

They are a dime a dozen. Not worth converting IMO.

 

GD

This is with a Ea81 2wd sedan converted to EA82 5sp D/R (EJ gearboxes are larger but shorter, but I'd guess you'd need more room then what I made with one)

http://offroadingsubarus.com/83sedan_4wd.html

Nice! That looks like it was a bit of fun!

More "fun" then I wanted. But I was committed to not doing a lift kit. If I were to do it again I would just build a 2" body lift for it.