rallybru310

The transplant begins!

Ok, I finally scraped together some cash and am ready to move forward with my 81 wagon build. Before I do, I want to know of any questions that I don’t know to ask. As a newbie to building my old gl please help guide me away from any pitfalls I may face, I’ve driven them all my life but this is my first build! My highest priority is building a daily driver that is super reliable and maintains a stock look and feel aside from lift, wheels, and tires. My quiver for the build consists of: -81’ wagon which has a great body and interior. Has bad engine and bad 4spd d/r transmission. -86’ wagon that has a great body, interior, and 5spd d/r. Engine has low compression -90’ Loyale with good body, interior, and 5spd push button transmission. Bad engine. -96’ Legacy (not pictured) good 2.2 drivetrain. I’ve been planning on starting with the 81’ and using the 5spd d/r from the 86’ and the 2.2 from the 96’ along with a 4” lift. What are the downfalls of this combination for a super reliable daily driver? Are there better options? Are there any obsolete parts in this combo that would render it useless(ea81 oil pump)? Power steering or not, I love the feel of the manual steering with original sized tires but am concerned about 27”/28” tires. How does the a/c adapt? Which cross members should I use? Which axles will be best to use 81/86? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!! I plan on driving this car for a long time, I want to get close to right the first go around. All input is welcome!!! Thanks

Hello again, Thanks for the advise back then. I’ve taken some time to consider my options and have decided on using the 81 GL wagon body(white), the dual range 5spd from my 86 wagon(silver), and 2.2 EJ from a 96 Legacy(silver) that I recently picked up. I’ve been doing as much reading up as time allows but still have questions!?! 1. How can I tell what the gearing is in the 81 rear diff? 2. Will I need to swap the rear diff from the 86 to match the transmission? 3. If so, will I need to swap axle shafts? Front/Rear? I will have a thousand more questions I’m sure, super excited to finally be moving forward!!!

Hello All, I have a 1981 4spd 4wd GL wagon with a perfect body and interior and a 1986 5spd 4wd GL wagon with a perfect drivetrain. I would like to know if I can swap the entire drivetrain (front/rear) from the 1986 into the 1981??? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks