subarubrat

I am running the XT6 H6 engine at just over 250 myself. This is in my BRAT and it not only has the HP loading, but the 33x16 tires on it. I would have no reservation about dropping in a lesser engine, especially in a car with smaller tires. However for a fraction of the cost of that motor one could swap in the EJ20 turbo from the WRX and enjoy more power and much improved driveability and durability. And one other small point, isn't the rotation of the engine reversed in that engine?

I speak from experience, weekend. Friday night, engine out, exhaust out, ECU out, old fuel pump out- new one in, Xmember dropped. Sat, new xmember in (cutout for upipe), engine in, exhaust hooked up, intake and IC done, radiator in, ECU in wire harness run (wired in spare time prior to go day) Sun, cooling system, ECU plugged up, and power/gnd/pump/fans etc. hooked up, scoop installed, various odds and ends... Sunday night, fired it up, fixed the intake issue and the backward fuel pump check valve (oops). Took it out and romped it. Best BRAT EA81 to EA81 swap time 50 min. Best BRAT EA81 to ER27 swap time 2 weeks (all sort of non bolt in)

There are a few logical things to check. First off see if you have the model with the 02 sensor and ECU. This is the box mounted on the underside of the steering column. These ECU controlled carbs do all sorts of strange stuff when they or the ECU are going bad. Try simply unpluging the ECU if it is present. Beyond that I would check for any vacume leaks from missing or failed hoses. A weber will not fix a vacume leak or such but if the carb is failing (or ECU) the weber would cure the problem and improve driveability.

"Personally, I think the first suggestion of running you EJ18 without oil was a waste of a post. Yes, sure, to really increase HP requires more cubes or a turbo, but engine swaps are time consuming and hardly "bolt-on" mods." Yuck Fou An engine swap such as that is a bolt in opperation. You don't need any special tools or fabrication of adapters and it can be done in a weekend. For less than the cost of a used 12 year old minivan you can have a sleeper that will humiliate just about any sub-$40,000 car in a traffic light to traffic light setting. If that isn't cost effective I don't know what is.

Yes, you did mention that part of it. There is no way around the money so a summer job might be something for you to do and then get the truck in the fall.

Getting ahold of a BRAT, that is the challenge. You first need to build up as large a bankroll as you can and sit tight on it. Start doing a DAILY search of sources and make this part of your routine. Check: Autotrader.com Area paper websites Valley Trader (or local for sale/swap paper) Ebay USMB/SubaruBrat.com etc. for sale forums etc. As soon as you see one call immediatly and make arrangements to go see it. If it is in good shape rust wise make the deal. BRATs are pretty rare in our area and don't pop up very often so when one does jump on it. As far as a pure suspension lift, there is not a kit out. I have 2 inches lift on mine and it was a major issue and does accelerate the wear of the CV joints. For practical reasons I would say forget about that for now. The lift kit that is called a body lift is a hybrid lift in my opinion. It funtions in someways like a body lift and like a suspension lift in others. Our unibody vehicles are different than a standard frame/body 4x4 and so are the lifts. Just go with the regular 4 inch lift and everything will go fine.

Sure, buy a lift kit etc., drive on over and well put it on.

There are some folks selling the Mitchell shop CDs on Ebay (some are copies, some are legal, no further comment) and they have the best wiring diagrams I have seen. A word though, print them and they look far better than on screen.

"Research and development is just fancy words for spending lots of money to figure stuff out" Man is it ever. I counted up well over a grand (which is a fancy way of saying just a hair short of 2 grand) in wasted or failed ideas or materials or tools and probably 6 months of time in my BRAT build. That is why I enjoy passing along to others the benefit of experience and save them some time and money. Without access to the gear or the intent to use it for other things if you buy it, you are better off just buying the kit.

A set of AGXs, while an upgrade is not going to close the handeling gap between the two cars, ever. It will take something on the order of a Tein or DMS set as well as other upgrades just to come close to doing that. You not only have to match what the newer suspension is capable of in damping and spring rate, you have to overcome geometry issues. I am full aware of the power to weight issues, that is why I was attempting to focus on the delivery of that power which the 1.8 simply cannot do in the same way as the newer EJs. And at that power level his engine will not be a reliable daily driver. Having a built RS turbo myself I am well familiar with what you are saying. My point above is that it is all fine and good to want to have an EA81 era car that will keep pace with the latest from Subaru and that it can be done just as a 510 can be built to outperform a stock new production Nissan Z series. But it won't be done without major work and high end components.

I think you are saying about the same thing give or take a few clamps, grinders and a way to cut the plates for the strut tops. It is managable and the truth of the matter is that a 6 inch lift isn't that much harder other than linkage changes. The deal buster is that the welder, chop saw and other bare minimums cost more than the bolt on lift.

I have driven mine through D.C. traffic and up 95 through Ballimer many times. A lifted BRAT with good shocks and tires is going to handle just fine. If you don't already have the pugs I would suggest Toyota 6 lugs to add some track width and further improve handeling. If you have the pugs already go ahead and use them. I would say go with a 4 inch lift and add Rancho or similar shocks front and rear. The front shock install is not hard and at low speeds the Ranchos are very conforming, but at highway speeds they really firm up the handeling.

Like he said the ECU is under the dash mounted on the steering column. If it is there you have the feedback carb. If it is running bad, you can often unplug the ECU and it runs much better.

Nothing like AGXs are going to get an EA81 suspension up to STI specs and 250 in the powerband the 1.8ltr can deliver will not give you the performance of the EJ turbos. While the car is capable of matching the modern subes you are looking at real parts and an investment in them.

Unless you have the gear or access to the gear: welder/chop saw/grinders/ etc. it is cheaper to buy one.

What you are suggesting in this project is not so far fetched even given the limitations of the stock chassis. I would flat out use the modern EJ25 power plant and tranny. But the suspension and chassis can be worked with. For comparison look at the Datsun 510. I have seen them eat up an autocross course faster than the newest Nissan offering.

I could see doing a hard top before soft top.

Disco ball and rear limited slip diff are optional.

Anything is possible and it is all a matter of time, money, and dedication.

May I suggest setting up a small website with paypal payment links for services so people can pay with a credit card, that may help you out. Then you can print business cards with your website too. Other possible services: Lift Kit install 5 or 6 lug conversion ticking lifters (classic EA82 gasket issue) AC retrofit to 135a

I am running a piston with a slight dome and a smooth surface. With the cam belt off and rotating the engine by hand I can get the valve stem to bump back against the cam follower by just the smallest ammount on the first rotation (valve set to full open) and nothing after that. I think I would be OK if I lost a timing belt but I am not interested in testing it. In the end, I am not facing any more risk than any other interferance engine such as my EJ25. You dance, you pay the piper.

Well, your not very welcome.

Easy upgrade: Drain oil,Drive car. "ooops, wife dear, the engine blew, I'll fix it!" Replace with EJ20T. If you are careful you can keep the project under $2000. Then you can slip in small upgrades to suspension and wheels/tires for udner $1000 at a later date. That gives you a $3000 WRX (well faster due to less weight)

Contact CCR, they can get a piston for the compression you need. Paeco can as well and in any shape you want but beware you may move into an interferance engine schema.

Shawn, I recently went to a dual BeCool setup to get the CFM I need and I have a $100 fan that is sitting here useless. Half that and it is yours if you want it. It is a 16 inch 2600cfm.