The Beast I Drive

Hey ya'll, I couldn't decide which would be the best forum for this question, but since its an off-road mod, I should ask here. Will .01 difference in gear ratio front to back be enough to burn up an early Legacy 5-speed viscous coupler if I drive it on the street alot? I ask because I have definite plans to put a straight axle under the rear of the Beast and run a 4.11 RX/EJ hybrid tranny, but the rear axle ratio is 4.10, not 4.11. I figure, if nothing else, it would be ok for off-road only, and trailer it to the trails, but would it really hurt it to drive it on the street? If nothing else, I could always fab a driveline disconnect to go where the carrier bearing is, but if I dont have to that would be nice... Axle in question is from a 90's Isuzu Rodeo Thanks -Bill

If you take the spacers off, just bolt on an EA82 y pipe on, it will fit perfect and bolt right up. -Bill

A lift would definitely help in the tougher areas, but there is plenty of spots that your non-lifted rigs would have fun. Went back out today with my buddies and my yota, and I must say I know why all the old schoolers dropped sube wheelin and went to toyotas :-\ Also got an isuzu rodeo rear axle for the beast today disc brakes, 4.10 gears, and possibly a locker... I'm gonna build my 4.11 AWD D/R trans and run the rodeo axle in the rear with a 4-link, won't have to worry about breaking axles any more then! Planning on goin tomorrow between 12 and 2pm, anyone who's interested can meet at my house. -Bill

I think "extra" is a strong word, I prefer "spare" -Bill

If youre interested in starting with a stock hatch, I have one I'd be willing to make a deal on.. PM me if you are interested -Bill

This place is about 10 minutes east of Sunnyside, right on the edge of Yakima County. Its not that big a spot, but it has some cool stuff, some really hard stuff and a lot of fun to play around on stuff. Its all sand and trees, with some rocks, and in the summer there is water flowing through it -Bill

... And toasted my clutch, as usual but had some fun, almost got sideways in a bad way 3 times my rig was not performing at its peak tonight, but it did ok for a beat wheeler that has had no real maintenance other than engine swaps and exhaust for the last 3 years... Didn't get hardly any pics, my buddy got a lot of videos but I dont have them... This was the highlight of the night for me Front wheel is about 2 1/2' off the ground, rear passenger wheel is off the ground as well... Good times Planning on going back out with some other guys on Sunday, but I think I'll have to take the Yota, the clutch is TOAST on the Beast, and I think I broke a motor mount and a rear axle, but I will know for sure when I run a damage assesment in the morning. -Bill

Save on shipping, come dig a caliper out of my parts pile Seriously, if you find what you are looking for, you can have it. -Bill

Im excited to see these completed, I can't wait to drop a hopped up 2.2 or 2.5/2.2 Hybrid into my '85 Yota, then maybe I'll have a lot more interest working on it I think this is a great piece of work you are creating! -Bill

For a lifted Brat an RX drivetrain is a horrible choice to swap in. Yes the RX tranny is sought after and pretty cool, but it has a low range of only 1.2:1, and has 25 spline stubs on the diff. The regular 5 speed D/R from a carbed/SPFI GL has a low range of 1.59:1, and 23 spline stubs (same as a Brat). The cool thing about the RX trans is the center diff lock FT4wd. Its a great tranny for rallycross, autocross, etc., but it has lower gears 2-5, so it revs higher than a normal D/R. Now, if you do get an RX trans, I would recomend you swap in the ring and pinion shaft and viscous couple and tailsection from a 90-94 Legacy 5 speed AWD trans, as well as the lower low-range from a regular 5 speed D/R. You will have the 1.59 low, shorter gears making it easier to turn bigger tires at highway speed, and 4.11 final drive ratio. Installing a 5 speed in a Gen 1 is no easy task, and its more than just linkage. The trans crossmembers are 100% different from Gen 2's and Gen 3's, and are designed to mount the rear of a 4 speed. The 4 speeds ar IIRC 9.5" LONGER than a 5 speed, so you will have to fabricate some way to mount it, there's really no bolt-in solution there. Also the linkage on 4 speeds is mounted to the trans, while on the 5 speeds its mounted to the trans tunnel, and is a completely different design. Custom linkage and ounts will have to be fabbed as well. Then, you will need a clutch cable. The stock 4 speed cable is too short, so ideally you would want a cable for an 81 Brat with D/R. However, that cable is no longer produced, as it was only made for 1 model and for 1 year, so you will have to modify the clutch pedal to use the 81-82 Wagon clutch cable, or mod the pedal box and use any clutch cable for a Gen 2 from 83-89. You will have to grind some material off the bellhousing of the trans to clear the steering linkage, and you will need a speedometer cable from whatever car the trans comes from. After all that, you will need to have a custom driveline made. The EA82 Turbo motor is a piece of ************. Period. You DO NOT want that motor in your Brat. Its too wide, it is not very reliable, it only makes 115HP stock, you cant upgrade it without it exploding unless you drop some serious coin on it, and you will not be happy with it. Drop in an EA81 or an EJ, either one is an easy job. The rear LSD is definitely something to grab, but you will have to swap the ring and pinion to whatever you end up using in the trans, I.E. 3.9 if you run a N/A D/R, or 4.11 if you build a hybrid. -Bill

A really awesome tire for any conditions is the Maxxis Bighorn, and its also available in 27-8.5-R14. Its cheaper than the Super Swampers and every bit as durable and capable. -Bill

Welcome Aboard! If you need anything for a Gen 1, 2, or 3 Subaru, I probably have it and am willing to make a deal..... I also fab up custom off-road parts and lifts for them too. Nice to see another local -Bill

Radiator in the trunk..... -Bill

Hehe yeah its got a pretty sweet plate number Got a little more done on it today, I just need to make a blank off plate for the EGR and plug a couple holes on the monifold, my buddy needs to get an adapter plate for a Weber, and hook up the fuel pump, get a new throttle cable, and it should be on the road, we are shooting for this weekend. Once he gets it home he's gonna start replacing much of the used crap we slapped on to get it running with new parts over the course of time, I gave him some old front knuckles to clean up and put new wheel bearings in, and some old axles to clean up and re-boot. It will also need a new clutch soon, and maybe some mods to the cable bracket. Spent half of the day cutting up the fwd hatch we pulled parts from and pulling parts off a blazer Im having hauled off on monday... Spring cleaning -Bill

Sweet, That is a beautiful car, Its a shame you have to sell it :-\ Those vents are definitely something Ive never seen on a USDM model, it would be cool to re-create something like those for one of my rigs though -Bill

We could always move the radiator to the trunk and punch some sweet louvers in the decklid..... -Bill

Well, my buddy Trevor wanted a rig to practice body work on and get better mileage than his 76 GMC 3/4 ton truck (12MPG on a REALLY good day), and I had this laying around. I had been pulling bits and pieces off it to keep my Brat alive until I sold it, and it was just gonna get parted and chopped, so I gave him the title and said I'll help you put it back together, just trade me some stuff for the parts. Started out as a 1980 GL-5 wagon with a 1600 and a 5-speed FWD, then Subaruguru got it a while back and began working on it, swapped in a really nice dark blue interior, lots of new bits and peices on the chassis, etc. Last week we put the front suspension back together, then today we swapped in an 1800 motor and 5-speed FWD trans from an 83 Hatch. Not running yet, but its getting there, hopefully it will be on the road by next weekend. So far we have just been using parts I have on the farm, but it's going to need a new clutch very soon, and I will either have to make or have Trevor buy a Weber adapter plate, the only one I have for an EA81 is broken. The paint plan is gonna be Ford Blue with flat black vinyls, not exactly sure on the designs just yet, but I hope it turns out good. Mostly though it just has to be reliable -Bill

If you want to stick with the ea82, really the only things you can do are get some torque cams from delta cam, play with the timing and tuning on a weber carb, and have custom dual exhaust with an x pipe made. You're wasting your money on hi-power coils, I've seen what they do to the stock disties, and it ain't pretty. I do however recommend msd plug wires, cuz you shouldn't ever have to replace them, but they are pretty expensive compared to oem Subaru plug wires. With the cams and weber and proper tuning, you should be back to about stock power-feel on the highway with 27's, and have plenty of torque for off road. -Bill

Im still down to weld up your diff, just bring it down sometime and I will fix it all up -Bill