el_freddo

Sweet, looks like I've got options! And it also looks like I'll have to have some shed time - something I don't have at the moment living in a snow resort Which also means that I'll have access to welders etc when I get home Cheers Bennie

Tell the machine shop what GD has said above and they'll do the rest - all you need according to GD is 0.815" height from the clutch plate face to the clutch pressure plate mounting surface. Cheers Bennie

No stress mate, I used to be the same a few years ago... Happy to help out. You need to use the EA82 clutch pressure plate as this matches the throw out bearing and clutch fork setup. The EA81 flywheel is the one to use - it has all of your timing marks on it for tuning the EA81 It doesn't hit on anything AFAIK, rather the EA82 clutch pressure plate either can't clamp the clutch disc OR the EA82 clutch pressure plate can't be properly bolted to the EA81 flywheel without machining. The other little tid bit you need to know is that the starter motor will need to be spaced out a couple of mm to make it work. Same as what happens with the typical 5 speed conversion. It could be a good idea to do a search on the L series 5 speed conversion to find out exactly what you need to do for your clutch setup. GeneralDisorder will also be a good souce of info if you ask him nicely, I've noticed that he's very knowledgeable in my short time on this forum Cheers Bennie

G'day all, I've got hold of a set of '98 foz seats to fit into my L series (RHD). First thing I noticed was that both rails do not detach like the earlier legacy seats do, only the outer rail unbolts, the inner one is fixed with only the slide rail being able to be removed with some work. Here's a couple of pics of the rails: Driver's outer rail: Driver's inner rail - fixed: Any thoughts on how to go about fitting these into my L series? I'd prefer not to weld as I don't have access to a welder, i'm hoping I can just drill out the spot wells and "hot rivet" style rivets then drill the appropriate holes to fit my rails where I need them. But I'm also keen to see what others have done with a set of seats such as these. I'm hoping I can fit them easily as I paid a good price for these seats to be shipped from one end of Australia to the other! Plus they're sweet as comfy in front of the TV where they're currently living (no shed/garage ) Any input is most appreciated! Cheers Bennie

Subaruguru, could you also post up a couple of pics of the instrument cluster install, I'm intrigued! Cheers Bennie

GD would a simple reed switch do the trick - something like this that is used for my cruise control: I've got the VSS from the stock L gauge plumbed in for my EJ - seems to go well but is not boosted with all of those cut out "features" you speak of subaruguru. Cheers Bennie

Flywheel - you need to use the EA81 unit as it has the correct timing marks on it for the EA81's timing. Have you got the amount it needs to be machined? I'm pretty sure you only do it on the outer bit, not the recessed, but I could be wrong in that so best to check with someone first. If you've got the clutch disc and pressure plate you should be able to work out with surface it is that needs to be machined by holding the CD and CPP on the EA81 flywheel - or do it on a bench and let gravity hold them for you "might need to nut it out" is probably aussie slang for working it out/thinking about what needs to be done etc. Hope this answers it for you. So which engine did you get all the brackets and hardware for, I presume the EA81. Did you get the crank pulley too as you'll need this to run all the extras. Cheers Bennie

Chad, as already posted in another thread: I think you'll have trouble keeping the EA82 auxiliaries in the same place - best to retro fit the EA81 gear to the EA82 as in hook up the power steering pump from the EA81 to the factory EA82 PS rack and the same for the AC - it's pretty basic but you might need some hoses made up unless you can bolt your current AC compressor in the bracket of the EA81's old unit. You might have to move the battery to the other side of the engine bay, not hard to do, just a little annoying. With some imagination anything can be achieved - deep pockets help sometimes as well As already said the fly wheel will need to be machined, search for specific measurement on this. Other than that the rest of the initial engine install will be plug and play! Cheers Bennie

Chad, here's an EA81 with Power steering and provisions for the AC - the compressor is not mounted in this pic but you can see where it should be on our right: Hope this helps Cheers Bennie

Those tyres look awesome mate! Got any details on them? We're pretty stuck down here for a decent tread on the standard size tyre for offroading. The best we've got is the Hancook winter Ipike which goes great in the snow but wears out super quick if you're not actually driving in snowy conditions! Cheers Bennie

As Loyale 2.5 turbo has said. Also you generally can't get the guards off without removing the bumper - catch 22 eh? Best of luck! Cheers Bennie

Sounds too easy but time is against me I'll see what I can do, who knows, I might find a gap that lines up for both of us Here's hoping! Cheers Bennie

The EJ22 is a 2.2 litre typically found in the liberty/legacy subarus from '89 onwards. There are slight differences in emissions from model to model but they're generally the same. They're SOHC with a cam belt timing everything, it even has the job of spinning the water pump so you're all safe from over heating if you throw a fan belt and don't notice - not too many car companies do this. 16 valves means twice as many per cylinder than the EA's ever had. Same basic layout as the EA82 but with a much better design with the same principals. Power figures, let me visit wikipedia for you... Specifications: Displacement: 2212 cc Bore: 96.9 mm Stroke: 75.0 mm Compression Ratio: 9.5:1 - 9.7:1 Valvetrain: SOHC Fuel Delivery multi-point fuel injection EJ221 Naturally Aspirated: Horsepower: 135 PS (99 kW; 133 bhp) @ 5800 rpm Torque: 186.3 N·m (137 lb·ft) @ 4800 rpm EJ222 Naturally Aspirated: Horsepower: 142 bhp (106 kW; 144 PS) @ 5600 rpm Torque: 149 lb·ft (202 N·m) @ 3600 rpm I'm not sure what the difference is in the EJ221 and the EJ222 - someone might know, it could be the gen1 and the gen2 versions. A pretty common engine that's easy to work on, easy to get parts for and easy to modify if you're after a little more poke out of it. Super reliable if well looked after Cheers Bennie

Another issue I think you'll find is that the speedo cable will be on the wrong side of the back of the instrument cluster as it is for a LHD vehicle, not a RHD as yours is. I've looked into the RX 6 gauge analogue clusters from the US but the tach and speedos are the opposite way around to what is in the LHD vehicles. Personally you can't go past a good ol' analogue dash IMO. Cheers Bennie

Geez mate! My first uttered comment when I saw the subframe rust was "sh*te!" If you're dead keen on the vehicle I'd suggest a new K frame be dropped in rather than trying to weld it back together! Cheers Bennie

Hehehe... Tweety, you're move over here took a lot less time than mine did! It's great to see some other pics of the trike and the camper too. The wedding cake figurines look awesome Can't wait to see how this thing shapes up with the EA81! Cheers Bennie

Go the EJ22, it's EFI, reliable and a good powerplant all-round. Steer well clear of the EA82, the black sheep of the subaru engine family. A well maintained EA81 with electronic spark and a weber conversion is also a great package if you're after something simple. The EJ and EA engines require a different adaptor plate so I'd be deciding what you want and sticking with it. If you've got the little voice saying "EJ, EJ..." I'd be going down that route as the EA will never do what the little voice wants in the end! Cheers Bennie

If you've got MPFI or SPFI I wouldn't recommend doing it. I fitted solid lifters that I made up to my MPFI - a total *************** to get the gap right as I had to put the cam box on, measure each unit, remove cam box, adjust all lifters, re-fit cam box, measure etc until I got the adjustment right. It would purr like an EA81 with a tiny bit of chatter but I didn't have that dreaded EA82 lifter tick Only problem was that before 4000rpm with my butt dyno it was not really responsive like it was with the stock lifters. After 4000rpm though it was amazing - pity I didn't drive in that rev range often in my daily driving! A cam grind specifically for solid lifters might be a different thing though as the cam will be specifically setup for the non movement of the solid lifter thus have the correct cam opening depth and timing for the application you want. All that said, dad's mate had a hitachi carb EA82 with the solid lifters - this is where I got the idea from - and it went off it's tits right from the word go. It was built/modified for rally in the back of a VW bug though! Hope this helps you out. Cheers Bennie

Ruby Scoo pre EJ, pre lift out at the Bendigo 4wd club's play area: Ruby Scoo a year or so ago in the Otways - Paddy's Swamp area: Video of paddy's swamp where the above pic was taken: Cheers Bennie

All the accessories from the EJ25 should bolt straight on to the EJ22 - so if you've got air con you should be able to remove the compressor from the engine, swing and tie it off in the battery tray then remove the EJ25 and re-install it on the EJ22 once you've got it in the engine bay. Same for the Power Steering pump. The alternator will be interchangeable as well. It's all like lego! The AC will most likely have one bolt bottom rear that is a real PITA - persistence is the trick with this one! Cheers Bennie

Both gearboxes are the same - Dual range L series. The difference between the two could be the front diff ratio which will be either 3.9 or 3.7 depending on the year it was made. Over here Pre '87 models were typically 3.9 and in mid '87 they went to 3.7 without any 3.9's from what I've seen/read. Both gearboxes will be the same to drop in you EA81 Hatch. The other thing to look at is the number of miles each box has done. The second link looks like that gearbox has been outside for some time looking at the rust on top of the low range rod on top of the gearbox... There are plenty of threads around the traps about this conversion - do a search and check out what you need to do to make it fit Cheers Bennie

That was bloody lucky mate! Dad's '89 rangie did the same thing about 3 months after an engine rebuild but it had this nasty knocking like a really bad big end bearing knock - found out the engine/gearbox bolts were loose, once these were done up all was good again! Very lucky!! Cheers Bennie

'91 model... I've heard that you don't have to use this wire with the AC - the ECU automatically ups the idle when it senses the extra load. This is what I've heard from others down here that have done the EJ conversion and retained/retro fitted the AC as well. This is good to know - thanks! This is probably what I'll look at doing as well - although I've got three fans squashed between a 3 core radiator and the front of the EJ, I used three as they're smaller and easier to mount around the various parts on the front of the EJ! I wouldn't go the 7 inch fan again though - the 9 inch feels (hand dyno here) like it pulls twice as much air! Thanks GD! Cheers Bennie

Leave it on the create, hang onto it for the next 50 years and it could age like a fine wine... Or still be a new boat anchor if no one wants it by then. Sounds like a great find that might help someone out. They should get it on a dyno to see what they really put out when factory fresh! Cheers Bennie

Yes, there is a factory upgrade, it comes with an EJ block and heads too! Cheers Bennie