Numbchux

2 things... 1. this thread is more than a year old.... 2. don't be spreading lies as fact. accord front springs in the rear of an EA82 subaru LIFT the car an inch or so. and Miata FRONT shocks are about 2" longer than stock, and rears at least as much shorter. in order to run Miata rears in an EA82, you need a much stiffer spring rate (I still bottom out mine on 400lb/in coilovers adjusted as tall as they get). and the accord/miata stuff is only applicable in the rear. for a decent setup for 4-lug, without spending too much money. KYB GR2s, and Ground Control (or similar) coilover springs for a '93-'01 impreza.

I agree 100% I've spent the last month or so doing the wiring for an '05 WRX swap into a '96 impreza LX. it's going to be a hell of a swap. BUT, because it was into another impreza, the entire dash can be swapped over. if this was not the case, this would have been 400x harder. seperating the engine control stuff from the rest of the harness would be an enormous project! because the ECU is still mounted in the same place as other OBD II cars (passenger footwell). but because of the turbo location, none of the wiring can go through the firewall right there, so it all has to meander around into the fenders and then to the engine. and the biggest problem we're encountering. the fuel pump. the WRX uses a fuel pump controller, and a number of other sensors on the fuel tank to control how much voltage the fuel pump gets. so it doesn't have to be on 100% all the time. it works in the impreza, because there are places to mount the required sensors and the WRX fuel pump, but the same is very much not true in the XT. like suberdave said. mechanically speaking, it's not that hard of a swap. but the wiring will be very complicated. once it's done, it would be an extremely sweet car. but you'd have a much easier time if you got an older JDM EJ20G. things are a bit simpler, and the power gains are comparable.

yep....and yea, the STi one is bigger, but this one was free I've never looked very close at an EA81 one, but I bet it could be done.

^yep, he's got it right on. and both of these will make cold starting difficult.

WOW. someone put alot of work into making that 2 door (unless it's fake...)

update. progress has been rather slow. since my last paycheck was almost completely soaked up by this: I love Craigslist.... BUT, with my new impact wrench, I was able to get the pinion flange off the rear diff and get the new seal in place. and today I started working on the interior stuff..... manual seatbelt conversion: and I took pics of the painted parts today. I wish I hadn't been lazy, and had taken pics while the paint was fresh.... started mounting the legacy handbrake handle: finally ordered the socket to get the rear wheel bearings apart, so I can get the sand blasting media out of there, and some fresh grease and seals.

it's getting dark, so the other pics I took didn't turn out very well. I wish I had taken pics of the process, but I wasn't really sure what was going to work, so I didn't bother. it was actually a simpler process than I expected...

yes, I ran my '85 adjustable struts on my '88 lifted wagon for about a year. worked perfectly. I wonder if the monroe replacements are adjustable

what AA lift are you running? I had the 4" high clearance, and adjusted the shock extensions up another inch, and ate through 2 rear axles in one weekend of hard wheeling.

yea, the offroad guys call them coilover shocks.....so that's what I call these. anyway, I know you can get Monroe Gas-a-just and KYB GR2s for an EA82. personally, I'd prefer the GR2s as they're a bit stiffer than stock.

my understanding is that a strut has to support the knuckle, and effect the alignment (comes from the term McPherson Strut...). just having a coil over it doesn't make it a strut. easy way to tell the difference is how many bolts mount it to the bottom.

an idea for those of you with radiator problems. there are 2 guys here in MN who are shoehorning EG33 6-cyls into imprezas. both are using the same radiator idea. use a radiator that's half as tall, and then you can stick it up in the bumper easier. it wouldn't work quite the same way with an EA-series car....but it might help: (that's not an intercooler...it's his radiator) and the other one hasn't been mounted yet, he used a ron davis custom radiator. and they messed up the first one (it looks awesome, but the put the inlet in the wrong place: "2 & 1/2 inch core, 13 by 22 with 1 and 1/2 inch tanks" now, about the ER27. keep in mind that this will be virtually the same project as an EJ22 swap, with more modification (same wiring project, won't need an adapter plate, but an EJ22 will at least fit in the engine bay), and it's still just a bigger EA82. you've still got 2 timing belts, still got a distributer, etc. and you've still got zero aftermarket/upgrade uptions. if you've got an ER27 donor car, and you have the time, patience, and skills to do this swap, I say go for it. but you sounded a little weary about wiring the EJ22 swap.....and this isn't any easier, and there isn't a writeup telling you exactly how to do it.

it is, a bit, but if you know how to read a wiring diagram, it isn't too bad. and if it looks like too much, there are a few of us who can do most of it for you.

download this, and read it 8 or 10 times.....it should answer most of your questions: http://www.d.umn.edu/~alex0219/Subaru/EA2EJ.pdf

no. unless you can find a way to attach EJ-series struts to EA knuckles.....or find another application that'll work with the EA knuckles....

and accord springs already are pushing your axles to their limit. you want to fit 215/75r15s? That's what I had on my 4" lifted EA82, and still had to trim the fenders. you're not going to make it happen with just suspension.

never heard it called a tension/compression rod. usually leading or radius rod. but occasionally strut bar too.

yep, top it off with the castrol hypoyC

heater box has to come out. and the heater core lines that go through the firewall tend to make it an enormous pain. I don't remember how it's supposed to come off, but I do remember that when my dad and I did it, there was some cutting involved

ooooo aaaaaa.....may have to get me a set of those next spring.

I've run Rislone, I've tried ATF. rislone actually rescued 2nd gear on our '94 LGT. but have notice a substantial improvement from Rislone to Scotty's cocktail (my dad actually asked me if I swapped trannies on it!) I'm a convert. it is $30 worth of tranny fluid, and you'll have to do some hunting to find it (the Redline isn't typically available just anywhere, but is the key to making it work.....), but completely worth it. btw, for a one-stop, good deal on this stuff. check out http://www.grimmspeed.com it's a local (St. Paul, MN) company that I've worked with alot (and may offer EA series parts before too long). http://www.rs25.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68102

put the ECU where it goes stock......for the EA82? or for the EJ25......

his post was a little more than a year ago.....

I don't know if 99-04 and 05+ stuff is different, but I've got 03 stuff, and it would work. but tein only makes springs for the '05+ stuff. the front tophats are a different pattern, you'll have to do some drilling (and should do some welding to ensure strength) to get them to fit. BUT, the upper spring perch is a seperate piece from the top hat. but the problem with the front springs is the bottom, not the top. the top is 5 mm narrower (will fit fine on EA82 upper perch), but the bottom is 18 mm wider why do you want to use legacy rear stuff? Miata shocks will fit easier. although, if you're not going 5-lug, the best front strut you can get are KYB GR2s. why go to the extra trouble in the rear to still be limited by the front? IMHO, an awesome setup for 4-lug. KYB GR2s all around (non-XT fitment), and some Ground Control adjustable springs. maybe some 200 lb/in fronts and 250 rear. they don't make them for an EA82 car, but they're a generic coilover. get them for a GC (93-01) impreza, and they'll fit fine. this will yield nice firm ride, powerful damping, fully adjustable ride height, etc. etc.

so, it's contagious. a guy rode in my car about a month ago, then totalled his car when a tire exploded in a tunnel. and he's going to hire me to build him an EJ22 powered EA82. so, I've got a line on a cheap, known good, motor from a '96 impreza (I'm doing the harness for it's '05 WRX swap...). problem is, I'm not sure how exactly to go about routing the harness and mounting the ECU, since the imp harness goes through the firewall on the passenger side, and the ECU mounts on the floor under the glovebox. so how have you guys done it?