El Presidente

I was asking if you knew how far under .890 spec you can go. I've gathered that .815 works on a ea82 4wd clutch, but I was looking for the limitations, if you've gone past .075" under. I used to be an auto machinist and wouldn't consider taking anything to anyone that wasn't ARBA certified. Thanks for the help Josh

I just stripped two obd1 harnesses and I couldn't find any good writeups or threads that helped much. Yes, a lot of responses are just "strip everything you dont need", which is very vague considering most people don't know what they need! Even finding a strategy to get started with is tough. I was able to get the help of another board member to help me out and things went much easier, if you can do this, do it. If you can't, don't sweat it. First, strategy...start at the plug ends and not at the ecu end of the harness, you'll work from the ecu end once all the extra stuff is gone. Identify all plugs needed by plugging them into the motor. Depending on the year, you'll have two or three engine harness plugs, these are light grey and square..don't confuse them with plugs for an auto tranny, if it came with one..they look very similair, but a majority will go back to the TCU. The harness for the Maf is the longest and there is another group for the O2 sensor, and the tps and aic(i think). If IRCC theres only like 5 plugs you need. There are some exeptions to "cut out everything that doesn't plug in" things like the fuel pump and ignition relay(which is mounted together on a little plate), on a abd1 i'd leave the check connectors and I also left my SSM(Subaru Select Monitor..Subaru's obd1 diagnostic port), If its obd2, leave the obd2 port. Start cutting, if its unidentified, you don't need it, because you've already isolated everything you do need. I found it easier to just cut the connectors off and leave the wire in the harness, once you have all the connectors cut you don't need, pulling the wire is easy and will come out by the handfuls. I always cut an inch or two from the connector so if I make a mistake, I have something to solder onto. Do not cut the shielded wire, they are for critical sensors and very voltage sensitive Once you have all unnecessary wires in the harness out, you'll realize there are cut wires going to the ECU...don't panic...these are for things like power to the ecu, grounds, VSS sensor(which is in your car already behind the instrument cluster), check engine light, starter, etc. This is the point when you work from the ecu end. Get a pin out of the ecu(its in numbchux ej writeup) and identify every cut wire and give it what it needs, there may be some that stay cut so don't be alarmed. Once you do one, the next one is a breaze..my second harness took 2 hours to strip from still wrapped in tape. My experiences are based on obd1, so yours will be different, but much of what I said should apply. Good luck Josh

After talking around, I've decided to do exactly this. Do you by any chance know how far you can go under the .890" spec.? .075" under spec seems like a lot, when I planned to start at .010" under spec after talking with a clutch rebuilder! Thanks for the input Josh

I ordered a couple XT6 clutches through amazon the other day and got a email back saying that exedy discontinued part 15009, which is a XT6 clutch. The retailer was Performance Parts Place. I can go with a beck/arnley, but I haven't heard the best things about these clutches If OEM clutches are exedy, that also means you can't get one from the dealer....where are you guys getting yours? I got two ea-ej swaps around the corner and no clutches:banghead: Josh

Welcome to the USMB:D First thing you should know about the board here is a lot of guys hate answering the same question a million times, so it helps everybody to use the search function anytime you have a question and also check the sticky threads at the top of each forum that would possibly have an answer. Sometimes the search in the forum is buggy, so I usually use google. If, after searching, you can't find an answer post a thread and see if someone can help. Short answer is: no locker is available for the stock rear diff. There are a handful in Australia that were a very limited run, but the chance of getting one is very remote. If you swap in a R180, you can run an ARB airlocker, or you can weld up the rear diff...thats what I did Josh

I've chopped a lot on a couple Cherokee's(unibody Jeep), and other unibody cars including my wagon. Make sure you clean the metal down to bare shiny and be in a very well ventilated area. Be very aware of whats on the other side of the weld, things like carpet and paddings burn great and autobody caulk stinks something fierce. I don't know about Subaru, but many manufacturers coat there sheet metal with an anti corrosive zinc coating. Zinc poisoning has happened to most welders and it usually doesn't kill, but it will make you feel like crap for a few days...its not fun..its like the flu. Stay ventalated and always have a fire extinguser or hose on hand if things go south. I wouldn't recommend a flux core at all...having a negative electrode puts a lot more heat into the parent metals your working on than you need. Not saying it can't be done, but your asking for frustration. If you do use a flux core its gonna leave flux all over the finished weld and you have to clean the flux off everytime before starting your next bead or you'll trap big inclusions in your weld and on thin metal, that means a big weak spot. When welding sheet metal, do not weld a seam in one long pass ever. You will seriously distort it from the excessive heat, creating really bad internal stresses, which will make dips, waves, twists and bends. Weld in small beads no longer than an inch long and spend time dialing in your machine. Remember to disconnect the battery ground before welding so nothing gets fried. Unibodies, in my experience, are very forgiving and inherently strong, but before cutting into the sheet metal, support as much of the area as you can and give thought as to what stresses will pull it where when you've cut it and try to reduce those stresses(lots of jackstands, remove tires and suspension, pull motors etc., but it depends on where/what your welding) Taking reference measurements ahead of time can let you know if things have moved. 12ga is my favorite patch metal for unibodies for stregnth, but if its ascetic, then I use the same thickness as the surrounding metal. I use an older Miller Mig welder with out all the autoset crap. For autobodies I run %75/25 Ar/CO2 shielding gas for a cleaner weld and a softer arc, I use either a .023 or a .030 wire depending on what thickness I'm welding and where. I can fairly easly weld down to about 24ga with my welder, any smaller and its time for a Tig. Anytime you modify a unibody you are messing with the engineering of the unibody and if you are worried about crash safety, maybe you shouldn't be doing this. Keep in mind your putting a heavier motor in there changing weight distribution, which can affect handling, stopping and overall vehicle stability...is what it is...your putting a motor in a car not designed for it, but that certainly doesn't mean it willn't work, or be safe. The risk is yours to weigh, but its something I'd do if I had an EZ30 laying around. Please share pics if you do it! Josh

Run 15's and pick up some 235/75/r15's(29")...they're cheap and available. I picked up a set of 235 all terrain's with %50 left on 6 lug chevy wheels for $40 a while ago. Right now I'm running 30x9.50x15 Maxxis Bighorns on Nissan pathfinder wheels.

I love the welded rear diff! I had a blast on this run and anybody that wasn't there missed out..the trail conditions were perfect. What wasn't covered in a foot of snow, was covered in a foot of mud. I'm already looking forward to the next run! Josh

Just got done putting my welded diff in, bring on the snow!

They are all broken from the same stump on Ron's Run....if you ever made it up here to wheel with us, you'd know:grin: Josh

I'm not welded yet, gonna do that Friday, possibly Thursday.

Yeah, to be fair, I stalled there a couple times and he did better overall that day than me. Yes!..Throw a D/R in there and come wheeling with us! Josh

What motor/year is it going on? It should work fine with a stock can style coil, but I'm not sure you can use it on most Subaru distributors. Mine has an internal ignition module, which may work or may not, but I know Subaru issued a variety of distributors, so I'd do my homeowork. Have you called MSD? If you get it going, please post results, I'm interested to know how it behaves on an older Subaru motor. Josh

My Cousin put together a video of the trip, here it is: LOL...A-Team theme song..

Sounds like the air/fuel is off Josh

Speed sensor is in the tranny IIRC, I'd check all the wire going that way for burns and breaks, I'd also do a thorough check of all the sensor connections for corrosion and bad sockets. Might be a good idea to test your tps too(if you can on the 2.7). You should be able to find sensor locations and test procedures by searching around. Glad to hear you got it running! Josh

Maybe you have a reman'd axle. I've heard they cut a lot of corners on machining reman's, including turning down and rethreading the spindle at a smaller size if the threads are no good when they get it. I don't know if it will work for your situation, but another way to deal with a rounded nut is to weld another nut or bolt onto the rounded one to get some bite. I've even welded junk sockets on rounded nuts to get them off Josh

I need to weld my rear end then I'm good to go.

Looks good:headbang:

I'm doing an EJ swap soon and I am seriously considering swapping the steering rack too, but I'm trying to find out if its worth it How does the EJ pump/lines/rack compare to the EA pump/lines/rack as far as strength and turning power? I'd imagine the EJ stuff is better, but how much?.. Gloyale said using EJ lines to the intermediate EA connector is arguable cleaner, is this cleaner than an entire EJ steering system? Josh

87 Gl Wagon 85 interior 6 1/2" front, 5 1/2" rear lift 6lug upgrade electric fan upgrade radius rods extended Twinstick upgrade(bugs not worked out) Holley 5200 carb w/ custom adapter, ported intake Still running EA82, but soon to be an EJ Sitting on 30x9.5R15 Maxxis Bighorns

I'll be there:D

Looks awesome! Can't wait to see you guys on the trails!

Perfect! We usually go to Walker Valley ORV, its located just east of Mount Vernon, past highway 9. The pictures in this thread are at Walker Valley, At least two guys on this run have a 2" lift! http://ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=128058 Trips are usually planned around the first Saturday of every month. I'll get a hold of Skylar, your Private Message box isn't active yet. -Josh

An A/C pump compressor can keep up with these too!