greggbrat

Do I really need the front swaybar on my 1982 Brat. I am going to use it mostly for 4wheeling and on my other 4wheelers (jeeps mostly) I just tossed the thing in the trash with no real detriment to street driving. I know I will get better articulation without the sway bar......has anyone tried this? (and I do know that I can make quick disconnects for it I so desire)

I am doing the tranny swap with my 82 brat and it is ripe with issues. But with an 84 GL you shouldnt have too many problems........ I would recommend a 5sp D/R.....overall more gearing options for hills and highways. You can get these from any 85-89 wagons that have a 5sp D/R at the junkyard. Make sure you are getting the front diff gear you need.......check the tag on the rear diff to make sure you are getting what you want. Make sure you match turbo or nonturbo.....meaning if yours is a non turbo then get a tranny from a non turbo......the front axle shafts are not interchangeable between the two. You will probably have issues to figure out with the linkage.....if you currently have a pushbutton 4wd then you probably dont have the shifter holes line up correctly. I dont have any info on this but it seems like it might be an issue. There are a few different ideas on what clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing and flywheel to use.......the USRP (Ultimate Subaru Repair Manual) has a basic description of the steps but there are others that advocate: 1. when swapping an EA81 tranny with an EA82 tranny use the following. EA81 Flywheel EA81 Pressure Plate EA82 Clutch EA82 Throwout bearing Make sure you get several opinions before you go forth with the project. I dont have all the answers but hopefully this will get you started.

Hey Jerry, Thanks for the clarification. Isnt it also possible to just use all EA82 parts? (ie, flywheel, pressure plate, clutch disk, throwout bearing) Why would I want to mix/match EA81 and EA82 parts? Is there an advantage? On a final note I heard you sell a kit for the linkage when doing this swap. What is in it and how much does it cost? Thanks, Gregg

For every rule there is an exception......... Of course the 82 brat is different. Now I get to go the JY again and pull another tranny. Any advice on the best way to pull a get an engine and tranny far enough apart to get the flywheel out? Or do I have to yank the entire tranny out? And while I am at it.......Does the 1983 and later flywheel match the bolt holes of my 82 brat? Thanks, Gregg

That doesnt work either.......the EA82 clutch disk will not fit into the EA81 flywheel or the pressure plate. It would appear that if I use all EA82 parts to include an EA82 flywheel this conversion would work just fine. Perhaps there is something special about the flywheel, clutch and pressure plate on the 1982 Brat. Either that or everyone saying to mix and match parts is just having fun at my expense. I just measured my EA82 Clutch disk.....its 9" in diameter. Pretty beefy clutch.....I imagine it is aftermarket.....I took it from the JY along with the tranny. The clutch disk is almost new.......but now I will need the pressure plate and flywheel to get this to work.

I am putting an EA82 5sp D/R into my 1982 Brat......basically swapping out my 4sp D/R for a 5sp D/R. I am in the middle of the tranny swap right now. Numerous posts and people stated to use the EA82 5sp D/R, EA82 Clutch disk, EA82 Throwout bearing, and the EA81 pressure plate....here is the dillema; The EA82 clutch disk will not fit into the EA81 Pressure plate. And I cant use the EA81 clutch disk because the spindle coming out of the EA81 tranny is smaller than the one coming out of the EA82 tranny. My only guess is that I need the EA82 pressure plate.....not the EA81 pressure plate. Would I also need the EA82 flywheel? Any help would be appreciated.......my brat is currently sitting in pieces in my driveway. THanks, Gregg

I am doing the tranny swap right now......just taking a little break. From what I have read in other posts the axles will swap as long as your going from a non-turbo to a non-turbo tranny or from a turbo to a turbo tranny. Apparently the splines are different between turbo and nonturbo. Everything I read says the driveshaft from an EA82 wagon will bolt straight on to a brat regardless of if it is turbo or not.....no difference. Not sure about other vehicles. I will have firsthand knowledge about this stuff by tomorrow. :-) Wish me luck.

Hey Ratty2Austin, I am located in Denver......how many do you have? If you have 5 steel 14" wheels then we could just do a direct swap......it would just cost us the shipping. If you only have 4 then I will keep one as a spare. Do you have a photo of the style? Mine are the "vented style".....except for the spare which is the closed steel type. Are there tires on your wheels? And what are they? The tires on my 15" are 195/65/R15......the rubber is just street tread and not very good.

Hey GD, Thanks for the info.........I appreciate the straight and informative response when it comes along. Do you know of any vehicles that come stock with the 14X6" steel wheel that I can find at the junkyard? Thanks, Gregg

Does this mean you have some 14" pug steel rims for sale? :-) I have a set of 15" pug steel rims for sale or trade for 14" pug steel rims.

I had read countless threads about drilling out toyota and chevy rims but it appears they are all for the 15" rims. I need 14" steel rims. Does anyone know what 14" rims could be drilled to fit my 1982 Subaru Brat? Thanks Gregg

Any word on the price yet? I might have some interest.

I am about ready to sell my 15" pug steel rims.......or trade for 14" pug steel rims. There are so many more choices for aggressive tires in the 14" range. I found some really good looking Mud Terrain tires for about $70 each in the size of 215/75/R15.......but I still think that is too large for me. I dont have an issue with trimming the fenders but here in Colorado the trails get steep......I really need to keep my gearing as much as possible.

I am putting the 5sp D/R in my brat and a 3.9 LSD but I have no other choices for regearing. I know the Interco SSR's are available but they are still too big and too expensive. I dont need any more lift than the BYB 4/3......I have been rock crawling for years.......its more about skill as long as you have some clearance and decent gearing......which is why I dont want to go larger than 26" tires.

I have an 82 brat getting a BYB 4/3 lift. I found a set of 15" pug steel rims but now I am having a problem finding affordable tires to fit. This rig will be used for rock crawling so I need to keep low gear ratios as much as possible. I am basically looking for the follow specs: - Mud Terrain tires - Maximum of 26" outside diameter (to fit on 15" pug steel rims) - Fairly inexpensive Does anyone know of my options? I have found several solutions for 14" rims........the 15" rims seem to only have options for a minimum of 215/75/15 which equates to 27.7" outside diameter. Please Help!!!!!

I didnt think to ask.......I am assuming the axles on my brat are a direct bolt on to the new EA82 5sp D/R tranny. Someone please verify. And also please verify if the EA82 Wagon driveshaft will fit the 82 brat with the tranny swap. Thanks!!

I am doing the tranny conversion on my 1982 Brat......will the two piece drive shaft from an 85 Subaru Wagon fit the brat after the tranny is installed? Anyone who has done the conversion probably has the answer. Thanks, Gregg

I am entertaining the same idea.......I will let you know if I find some specs.

The EA82 Wagon driveshaft will fit a 1982 Brat with the tranny swap? That would imply that the 82 Brat and the EA82 Wagon have an identical wheelbase length.......is that true??????

Here are the gear ratios if anyone is interested Year ............................1st ........2nd ......3rd ......4th .........5th .......Rev .....4wd low 1982 D/R.....................3.636.....1.950....1.193....0.769.................3.583....1.462 1982 Brat D/R..............3.636.....1.950....1.266....0.885.................3.583....1.462 1983-1988 4dr/RX ......3.545.....2.111....1.448....1.088....0.871....3.416....1.196 1983-1988 Wagon........3.545....1.947 ....1.366....0.972....0.780....3.416....1.592

What is in this kit that Bratsrus1 is selling for the tranny swap? Is it just linkage that allows the use of the same interior console? Or is there more to it? I am in the middle of the tranny swap right now also. My big surprise was that I have to lengthen the driveshaft. Thats going to be the most expensive part of the entire tranny swap. I didnt realize the EA82 5sp D/R was shorter than the 4sp D/R. Is there a subaru (or other) driveshaft that is already the correct size for this tranny swap? (I could pick up one real cheap at a junkyard) Thanks, Gregg

Hey Ozified.......still trying to order a lift kit.......I have never tried so hard to give my money to someone before. :-) Help.....its 4 wheeling time!!!

Subaru didnt seem to maintain any consistency on the various years and models of vehicles. On the 1987 RX there are green connectors under the dash next to the ECU. These green connectors are used for adjusting the timing and also used to clear the codes in the ECU. I read somewhere that on some vehicles the ECU is actually under one of the seats. Go figure.

Noah, Its a 4 wire connector going to the pressure switch on the receiver/dryer. I tried jumping it every which way but it didnt seem to have any effect. Its pretty much impossible to tell why there are 4 wires......I am only guessing that there is both a high and low switch in the single unit. I need details......details, details, details!!!!! I found some R12 replacement freon for about $4 a can (which is equivalent to a pound of R12).......not too shabby. According to the EPA they can not be mixed......but I wont be telling the EPA what I am doing. I already checked my pressure and its perfect. I dont have a temp guage but the A/C was blowing wonderfully cold. I just cant get the compressor to come on unless I jump it with 12 volts. Does anyone have knowledge of teh

What you said made perfect sense......its the green connectors next to the ECU. I just cant see the numbers in the daylight. I have a strobe timing light.....but us old guys have bad eyes. :-)