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EA82 trailing arms on EA81 chassis ?


scoobyclimbs
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Since, ea81 axles are getting uber rare now . I was thinkin' of swapping Ea82 trailing arms . This way I could just use EA82 axles and not having to make hybrids(ea81 shafts/ea82 doj's).

Given it would be a few inches wider track , it also looks to be a straight foward bolt on swap.

 

Anyone done this ? any issues?

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I'm planning on doing it this week before the WCSS.

 

In my case, I already have an EA82 front subrame and arms, so my front is wider than the back. I currently have different offset rims front and back to match the track widths.

 

I am hoping the swap of the EA82 arms onto the back works easily, and will widen up my rear track.

 

The biggest things I've noticed in preparation so far is that the bolt holes on the EA81 subframe will need to be enlarged for the larger EA82 pivot.

 

Also I am not sure how the bump stop action will work out. Because there is no coilover on the EA81 to limit uptravel, bump stops are essential to keep the inner joint from overextending when the wheel is compressed (hill climbs)

 

Do you have trailing arms for your project? I've got a set if you want em. I'm sure you've got something subaru to trade. (I'll take the H6....lol) PM me

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Have you done a side x side comparison of the EA81/EA82 trailing arms? I was also looking at doing this after I did my front control arm/axle swap. When I compared the two, there seemed to be very little if any difference in length/width, it's the trailing arm mounts on the body that are farther apart from what I saw. Just something to think about before you get to excited like I did. But if you know something I didn't notice, please tell.

 

Jesse

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Have you done a side x side comparison of the EA81/EA82 trailing arms? I was also looking at doing this after I did my front control arm/axle swap. When I compared the two, there seemed to be very little if any difference in length/width, it's the trailing arm mounts on the body that are farther apart from what I saw. Just something to think about before you get to excited like I did. But if you know something I didn't notice, please tell.

 

Jesse

 

By my measurements, the arms are about an inch longer.

 

I haven't compared to installed width to determine if EA82 rear axles will work lengthwise after swapping arms.

 

gonna be working on this today.

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Well......I'm not sure if it will work with EA82 axles.

 

The arms are longer by about 3/4 inch. But the EA82 axles are longer by about 1-1/2 inches.

 

However it seems that at least early EA82 alxes will "compress" down to a length that seems like it would short enoguh to fit. Not sure. Gonna try and mount a set up and see what happens.

 

The later EA82 axles with a slidng DOJ on;y on the inner end, don't comress as far.....so those definately won't work.

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Don't think it will work.

 

The EA82 axles are too long, even with the EA82 arms on there.

 

Jbbvw was right, it has more to do with the mounting points of the arms than the length of the arm itself.

 

Guess I'll just have to keep mounting up Legacy and EA82 inner rear cups onto my old axles.

 

As long as the shafts hold up, I can replace joints all day.

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  • 5 months later...
You will need to chop in the whole ea82 subframe. The ea82 trailing arms will bolt in, but you will not gain a wider track from that alone.

 

Maybe I'm not understanding something here, but if you have the option to mount the trailing arms as wide apart as you want while doing a lift, why would you not get a wider track?

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If you have the complete ea82 tubeframe, then yes, make a lift block that adapts it.

 

What i am saying if you just bolt in ea82 trailing arms to the ea81 subframe, they are in the same place. You will have to adapt the ea82 coilovers by modifying the mount in the wheel well (see McBrat's red brat for an example of the coilover mount mod.)

 

ea81 and ea82 trailing ars are dimentionally similar, from the pivot bolt to the backing plate, width wise. ea82's are no wider than ea81's

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Maybe I'm not understanding something here, but if you have the option to mount the trailing arms as wide apart as you want while doing a lift, why would you not get a wider track?

 

Lifting the subaru there is no change in teh trailing arm mountings. The Whole subframe drops.

 

The trainling arms are a fixed distance from eachother unless you start cutting and welding sections of the subframe.

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Lifting the subaru there is no change in teh trailing arm mountings. The Whole subframe drops.

 

The trainling arms are a fixed distance from eachother unless you start cutting and welding sections of the subframe.

 

I guess I'm not saying it correctly then. What I'm talking about, is apparently swapping the whole subframe from the EA82 car to the EA81 car, while doing a lift. As I understand it, that should fix the width issue, and the lift should allow the moving of the mounting points to allow it to bolt up. I have a complete EA82 parts car: I can take any part of it off to put on an EA81, I just want to make sure I'm thinking of it correctly.

Edited by Speedwagon
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