subaru suspension info

[oifla]

hello all,

 

i've worked on toyotas for a long time so you'll have to forgive my ignorance but i was hoping to get some help from people who know subarus on finding suspensions like the one used on this trailer.

 

i found the pic another bb and the op mentioned that the suspension came out of a mid 80s subaru. because there are so few subarus around here (indiana), it would help greatly to know (1) what other subarus came with this rear end suspension (IRS/torsion bar as shown in pic), (2) something else i would be interested in finding out is whether there are payload capacity differences between brats, wagons, and sedans/coupes.

 

thanks

Edited January 17, 2010 by oifla

[kiwi subbie]

That looks like it would had come of a leone from 1980-1984 only front wheel drive model.

[oifla]

That looks like it would had come of a leone from 1980-1984 only front wheel drive model.

 

great, thank you. i guess they sold these in the states from 79-84. did they all have torsion bars?

 

from searching online it looks like the next generation got rear coils/struts, is that right?

 

any other subarus have torsion bar rear ends?

[kiwi subbie]

They all had torsion bars.

They come off all in one piece as you can see in that pic of a trailer. The earlyer model does come in two peices and wouldnt be ideal to use.

The the next generation got rear coils/struts or airbags

Brats also have them... but its has the CV part that sticks out. since they are 4wd.. Im not sure if you can leave part of the cvs in or not.

I was just thought the rear torsion bars of the front wheel drive would be best bet.

[monstaru]

you can use any torsion bar from 80-89 in brats and hatches

80-84 in wagons, sedans, and coupes.front or 4wd, will net you the same torsion bar.it is a double doj , so it adheres the same on both sides, with a stub.....it will roll on its own.cheers, brian

[GeneralDisorder]

You will want a 4WD rear assembly as they have MUCH heavier bearings in them. You just knock out the roll pin on the outer end of the drive axle and remove them. Functionally the same but the 4WD stuff will be easier to get brake parts for (if you are using the brakes), and the bearings are completely different and much bigger.

 

Finding one will be the trick - we have members here from Indiana, and there aren't really any of those bodies left out your way. Getting scarce even here on the West coast where we only crush them for fun (no rust).

 

You want an '80 to '84 basically. Exceptions being the hatch and Brat which ran to '89 and '87 respectively. '79 will be different and not what you want as they use two seperate torsion bars set at compound angles to the body.

 

There were never any payload capacity differences between the different bodies. They all used the same torsion bars (except 2WD vs. 4WD). These are not heavy capacity assemblies. Max capacity WITH passengers for an EA81 is 800 lbs. I've seen them do more, but 500 lbs will easily max out the torsion bars. There won't be any travel left at that weight and it will likely ride on the bump stops.

 

You might also look at the old Datsun 510's etc. They had torsion bar IRS IIRC - just avoid the wagon's as those had solid axles.

 

GD

Edited January 18, 2010 by GeneralDisorder

[TomRhere]

I have the rear suspension from an '86 BRAT here. PM me and we'll talk about price. You're about 4-1/2 hours from me.

 

As GD said, GAW will be your limit. You will gain some from losing the body of the vehicle, but then lose some of that back from the trailer buildup. Aluminum frame and decking would be my way of building the trailer.

 

Thinking the rear struts off an EA-82 vehicle used in place of the EA-81 rear shocks will gain you some more load capacity.

 

Thinking I would also do the 6-lug conversion to run 15" wheels/tires. Better load ratings for them, plus 13's are getting hard to find.

[robm]

Datsun 510's had coils at both ends. The IRS would be a pain to convert to a trailer. The truck version would make a better trailer, complete with box all ready built, but they all rusted out decades ago.

[oifla]

great info people, thank you much!

[oifla]

can you guys point me to a site with pics of a subaru 89-94 rear suspension? there's not too many of the older subies around here and i'd like to take a look at the newer generation as another option (especially if it bolts together like the earlier model). thanks

[MilesFox]

the 85-94 setup (ea82) is very similar, but instead of torsion bars with shocks, you have independent trailing arms and coilover strut to bear the load. the coilover would mount similarly to the shock in the picture you presented. either or, trailing arms would swap between both styles.

 

you can do the 4wd suspension minus the rear diff, the suspensions are virtually the same except for the hubs themselves.

 

Although General Disorder mentions the 4wd bearing is stronger, a 2wd bearing is much simpler to service, standard taper bearing on a spindle, whereas the 4wd has special socket to remove a collar and pressed bearing.

 

if i was you i would consider Tomrhere's parts. I know him, he has the old style parts you will not find. I am from Fort Wayne area and we had all of the old subarus in the land, found all the ones that were left!

 

even if toms parts are the 4wd version, you can still swap on 2wd parts or newer style coils and trailing arm, since any part you find may be subject to rust, and this gives you a broader field to obtain replacement parts to keep your trailer in service.

 

good luck, and i would like to see your project when it is done, i have had this same idea for a trailer, and i think it would work for a Trike project as well:slobber:

 

the '89-94' you are probably referring to is the Loyale, which is the same as the 85-89 gl wagon, coupe, sedan, xt.

Unless you are referring to Legacy (89-94 1st gen, 95 and up...) have macpherson struts that you will have to build some sort of strut tower to fix the tophats and have traveling suspension, it would be a more complicated build and defeat the purpose of your original idea

Edited February 3, 2010 by MilesFox

[GeneralDisorder]

Yes - you could use an EA82 ('85 to '94) coil-over setup. Basically it's exactly like the trailer picture you linked to but instead of the shock it has a coil-over strut. Otherwise it's almost identical to what you have seen - just the tube has no torsion bar inside it and the weight is carried by the spring on the coil-over.

 

GD