superu

Nice Gregg!!! You've pulled this hatch together very well!! How does she pull firebreak 5 (is that what that line is called?) now?? cheers, -mark-

I think folks that do the EA 4x4 swap into an EJ, with the adaptor plate use XT or RX clutch kits... ?? supposedly better than a GL spec, but not quite the spec of an EJ

FWIW, I'm running a 95 legacy on outback struts and gen 1 forester springs (rear) and SVX springs (front). I have a heavy tube bumper and BEEFY skid plate (read: 140 lbs together), so the SVX springs actually do well at holding up all that steel, otherwise it'd be much higher in front than the comparative FOR spring lift in the rear... plus 400 pounds of mud At any rate, I replaced a front passenger CV last year during a steering rack swap (it was OB springs then and no skidplate), I did the SVX front springs this spring and this summer I blew that new CV's boot... so maybe 9 months on the CV and maybe 2 of them on the SVX springs, Probably just coincidence, as this is a sample size of one so I can't say definitively. But I had NO problems with boots or CVs on the OB strut/spring combo for the 7.5 years prior... The rear FOR springs are going on 2 years now and the SVX springs are about 5 months or so. The camber is out of spec on all four corners and I think the front is still out of spec even WITH a camber kit using SVX springs in OB strutrs (gen 1 FOR upper perches). The rear is a touch out of spec with the FOR springs in OB struts, but a camber kit would bring those back... Of coarse the alignment tech could e a doof.

it's actually a good post.. My wife's 03 OBS has a slight oil leak and needs a clutch, so I say, "might as well swap the head gasket while the engine's out." since it has 103K on it... so I'm calling it preventative maint. what are people's recommendations on what to replace the HG with... I've gotten on board with using car quest for parts, rather than Check/O'Reilly, so I would just use whatever Car Quest gets in for her model and year, etc. Is that cool, or do peopl have another recomendation?

Yeah, i figured that was their angle... CYA. But they wrote back and said, essentially "we don't do overseas, but we can ship to someone in Australia if you know anyone." So that's that. Not to be on this one... so it goes.

^^ ditto. If you go for it, you should consider all the subframe spacers from an outback...

You old gen guys are WWWAAAYYYYYY more extreme, and my hat's off to you! Here are a few from my archives.

Had to ad a shot at the top of Kennebec pass. I LOVE these arrivals, ALL trucks/SUVs and my sedan!

That's good stuff Bennie and a great idea to get EJ AWD in a dual range over here, from what we have available here!! BUT, pressing off and on 1-5 gears and reverse sounde like a "hand of God" proposition to me... It's that that turned me away from trying to reserve my 3.90 FD legacy's 5th instead of the 99 OB 5th I now have... which works out fine, i just drive 65 instead of 70- 75 on the interstate.. No big deal. But could you show or draft into a picture, where or what on the crown wheel and or casing one would need to shave/grind wo stuff 4.11 or 4.442 in the GL low gear? And would that hold true with an EJ dual range gearbox case? Ciao

Hey Bennie, so their response to my inquire was this, "Hi Mark, We will need a VIN number as there are several types and they do not interchange We also need a delivery address so we can calculate freight Kind regards, David" So isn't remote and Australia a redundancy? j/k Yea it seems rediculous for you to ship it to you then you to figure out how to ship it back to the coast then to the states then to southeastern Utah... I'm pretty remote here (an hour and a half from the "big" town of 60,000), but at least we get mail daily and like 3 million visitors/tourists a year. . . :0 At any rate.. Yes, a 4.11 dual range 1.44:1 5MT out of a 97-98 fozzie would be great.. It's would be bolt-on EJ dual range and pretty sweet. while not the ideal 1.59:1 reduction of a gl (which I can source here readily and cheap), a 44% reduction would be a WHOLE lot more low gear than what I've got now!!! THEN if that isn't enough I could always drop it again and go for the GL/EA82 low mod as you mentioned... So despite my researching (which has yielded a lot of good info) and efforts, I haven't scored a dual range EJ 5MT yet, but I know what to look for and what would work, and what I'd need to do with the available optiopns over there. So, my 1st choice would be a 97-98 fozzie out of an EJ20, second would be any fozzie 99 and later or outback with an EJ25 ( i think those had 4.11s). other than tha any good but cheap dual range5-speed AWD. Then I'd swap front diffs (for the 4.11s) and my soon to be LSD rear 4.11 diff. So, given their response to you and what I expect to hear back, i think the wrecking option you directed my inquiries to is done, but a good step and help which I thank you for.

THAT is F-in sweet!!!! And this as well!!

Yes, I didn't open the boxes or pull off the rear casing to fiddle with 5th gears.... later replies indicated that it's a big mess to get into that, even though the 5th gear is in the rear case and you don't have to mess with opening the main case... Word was they did some changing in 99 (my new gear box) and bearings, tollerances, races, etc might not have been interchangable with my old 95 5MT... YES!! good call, you'll be very happy once you get your dual range 5MT with 4.11s and the GL low gear figured out.. You're doing a center diff lock too right?? Isn't that then an open center diff when not locked? How does that behave in normal operating conditions compared to a Viscous center diff, like if you were in rain or snow (now that I know you have snow where you are curious. . . Thanks for the heads up on the fozzies.. I'll drop them a line... If you can get me a Dr EJ box, as you alluded to, "If worse comes to worst I could pull a DR EJ box and send it over -" I assume you mean a liberty or something that's 3.90??? thus all the chat of, "[having] to get some tricky bit sorted in terms of a single range 4.11 foz box and have the upper gearsets pressed off the donor box and onto the DR box's upper shaft that incorporates the low range" to get 4.11s in a cheaper dual range EJ tranny? Keep in touch Bennie, so far you've become a most reliable and consistent connection with the southern hemisphere! There are a few others too, but circumstances have been such to make them have to back out :-\. . . Ciao!

The "quill" is the part of the Aluminum bellhousing that surrounds the inputshaft of the tranny where the throwout bearing rides. So apparently that can get some wear, steel bearing riding on Al shaft can lead to wear on the Al part.... THIS they've designed a retrofit sleeve (steel) to fit over the worn quill and provide a steel surface for the bearing...problem is now it's an oversize outside diameter shaft for the bearing, so they designed an oversize bearing to fit onto the steel sleeve. BUT you can't get JUST an oversize bearing.... It's part of the whole clutch kit.... so (as far as i've been able to figure) to get an oversize bearing, you need to get an entire clutch kit which comes with the oversized bearing = MORE $$... Can't just get a $164 clutch kit plus an oversized bearing... the oversized bearing clutch kit is like $240. . . At any rate, here's the retrofit sleeve on the quill (fitted on my 99 OB 5MT) And here's the quill from my 95 5MT

copy that. . . .

right! Sorry to contribute to a diversion [quote name=monstaru NOW' date=' went on a road trip to an interview this weekend.she handled well even at 75mph.no sway bars was a skosch crazy next to semi's, but she powered through.it's amazing the topend power that i get with big rump roast tires at like 65 and up....nuts.top speed was about 90 passing a convoy of trucks.... people were looking at me like WTF!It was awesome.got several honks, head nods and waves from enthusiasts. cheers, b[/quote] Man, dual range with locking center!! all over again plus all the other crazy goodness... I get moist reviewing this build So, is that turning a 2.2 or 2.5? And what EJ/RX hybridizing did you do? I forgot, started reviewing the thread, then got lazy PLUS, what's the final drive now? I just swapped for an OB 5MT to get 4.11s (and regain reverse and report similarly as you, regarding handling at speed and regaining the power in the top of 5th (not to mention the bottom of 1st-3rd), that I'd lost with the tire upsize. anyhoo, props again

Aah.. right! I remember that meaty tire squeezed in there... Would the tires hit the fender? then strut top spacers (http://www.subtle-solutions.com/product_info.php?products_id=107) would do it. Or would the tires hit the lower spring perch? then you need a shorter tire profile... maybe 28.5"-29" max? good work, auto, lift, welded rear diff!! (sorry for thread diversion

Hmm. . . Makes me think I do have one, just burned out bulb or blown fuse... but everything else seems to work fine... I thought it was a little LED or tiny bulb. But then I saw there's the same little button symetrically on top, next to the "F" My guage is horribly inaccurate (again). I go like 50 miles for the first 1/4 tank, but by the time I fill up (with 11 gals, i.e. only 3/4 tank) I've gone 330 miles... I dunno, shrug...

Hmm, an interesting idea. That actually sounds like a fun project.. 1.8L FWD IMP with 4EAT running SVX 3.54 ring and pinion... 34+ MPG anyone?

No, I think I'm the confused one... I probably "never saw the light" I'm pretty sure we (95) don't have a light.... It looks like Tom modded his instuments.. "Yeah I swapped the Fuel gauge from a "Real" Outback thinking that was my issue, that's why its red" And I think that got him a light... I guess we (the rest of us 95'ers) just need to watch the mileage and not hope for the light. I've stalled out at least once "looking for the light"

Hey you have a light for "low fuel"!! I thought I did, as in I think I saw it once like 7 yeara ago when i bought the car...but then I've never seen it again... (confused)... AND, sweet hood!!

Ahh yes. So then it's electronically controlled and not viscous? So, while the RX had a locking center diff (covet covet), and all other FT AWDs are Viscous center diffs, the DCCD is electronically controlled and made for race use/abuse and therefore wouldn't be an economically viable or functionally good center diff "lock" option for off road use, right?

So, how does or does that account for the VCCD (if those are the right letter?) variable center diff. STIs had that "dial-a-center ratio" right, but not WRXs?

right! quote=91Loyale;1020159] Oh, and there's no 3.54 front ring and pinion sets available. The wrx's that had 3.54 rear diffs had 3.9 front diffs, and 1.1:1 rear transfer gear sets, so it was effectively 3.9 all round. that was bugeye WRX or all of them? I kind of remember that WRX's had a different front:rear split from NA 5MTs... the different gearing would explain it like you said then. didn't the SVX have some weird FD ratio too? and they were all autos too. "luxury coupe" and all

teehee

Right! This is what I thought, not quite the easiest affair.