bombshelboy Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 (edited) Hi! New member of the forums here trying to find out what my best options would be for tuning. As the title states I have a subaru GL from 1986...i believe the 1.8L, but I dont think it will matter for too long. Ultimately I want to put a twin-turbo dohc ej-series engine in it, maybe put a small lift on it, and I wanted to make the drivetrain capable of handling the torque difference. My question is what all will need to be done to make this possible, which engine is small enough to fit my compartment, and what fabrication, if any, will I need to get done. I know ill have to get the wire harness from the car I grab the engine from as well as change the fuel lines and such to go from carborated to fuel injected. I also plan on getting the work professionally done and investing heavily into it, so dont be afraid to recommend pricey parts...i want to make an offroad beast after all Thanks! Edited March 30, 2012 by bombshelboy typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Twin turbo is awkward. You can make a 350hp EJ25 with a single turbo and have it drive nice, so there's really no reason for twins. I'm going to rain on your parade a bit here, but if you're paying for professional work to make an offroad beast, there are a lot of better platforms to start from, like say a Jeep Cherokee. Massive aftermarket, stronger drivetrain, and cheap to start with. You're looking at a complete drivetrain swap, engine, transmission, driveshaft and axles, wiring harness, ect. Everything will be custom work, which if you're paying to have it done will cost a lot. A 2.5l turbo backed with a 4eat auto trans is probably the best bet for an offroad car. If you can find a donor Forester XT or Outback XT that's been rolled or something, that would be the best way to start. Buy it salvage, and start swapping parts into your car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombshelboy Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 What transmission is the manual equivalent? I like gear control lol, I do a lot of mountain driving and in the snow. If I were to do a single turbo which one is easiest to fit? I do have a lot of room with the spare tire being under the hood and all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 You could do paddle shifters with the 4EAT. I believe Eulogious did that on his Loyale and his Legacy? But the torque converter in the 4EAT acts like a low range. Ive seen the 4EAT Forester just climb places like they are nothing... Not to mention, they can handle the abuse. OBK25XT has/had a 2001 Outback sedan with 473K on it, original engine/trans which was the 4EAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Hey, A poster here has a GL type wagon with lift, which helped with the install of the EJ 20TT. The lift gave him more room for the TT setup, IIRC. Has a 5 speed manual I think. Don't remember the name tho... Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombshelboy Posted April 1, 2012 Author Share Posted April 1, 2012 Mine is the hatch, but I dont think that should matter. The main reason I wanted the tt wasbetter acceleration, not power btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hatch or 3 door coupe? Does it have overhead cams and timing belts on the motor? If it's a hatch with the EA81 OHV instead of a 3 door coupe with the EA82 OHC engine, it will be a tighter fit to get the DOHC engines in. The room from the spare tire isn't where you have clearance issues with twins. The brake booster, steering coupler, and crossmember is where you have problems. Honestly, the twin turbos won't make much if any difference in acceleration in a light car. They also add a huge amount of complexity and packaging issues. Have you driven a newer WRX? The acceleration is more than adequate in a much heavier car. Put that in a light car and it will rip. The only reason for twins is so you can brag that "It's a twin turbo yo" If you want to offroad it, there isn't a subaru manual transmission built that would work well. The D/R 5spds will break, and all the stronger 5 and 6spds don't have the gear reduction to work well with bigger tires. That's what makes the auto better. If you are set on a manual trans, using Bill Hincher's adapter bellhousing with a 4x4 toyota trans and transfer case would work. That requires extensive modification and enough lift to clear a front axle, which doesn't sound like what you're looking for. The 2.5l's have a lot better bottom end than the 2.0's. That's why I recommend the leg/for 2.5XT's as a donor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 The main reason I wanted the tt wasbetter acceleration, not power btw so dont be afraid to recommend pricey parts...i want to make an offroad beast after all Ultimately I want to put a twin-turbo dohc ej-series engine in it, maybe put a small lift on it, and I wanted to make the drivetrain capable of handling the torque difference. Your statements of goals seems to be all over the map. I don't think you realistically understand that not all things are equally possible toghehter with this platform. Do a 4-6" lift, put a 2.2 or a 2.5 non-turbo in and wheel it w/ the D/R 5spd in it. Spend the money left over on really good tires, that's what makes a wheeler anyhow. That's the best combo unless you just want to have bragging rights and piss away alot money to break things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Guys name is roostema4328 Here is his car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombshelboy Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hatch or 3 door coupe? Does it have overhead cams and timing belts on the motor? If it's a hatch with the EA81 OHV instead of a 3 door coupe with the EA82 OHC engine, it will be a tighter fit to get the DOHC engines in. The room from the spare tire isn't where you have clearance issues with twins. The brake booster, steering coupler, and crossmember is where you have problems. Honestly, the twin turbos won't make much if any difference in acceleration in a light car. They also add a huge amount of complexity and packaging issues. Have you driven a newer WRX? The acceleration is more than adequate in a much heavier car. Put that in a light car and it will rip. The only reason for twins is so you can brag that "It's a twin turbo yo" If you want to offroad it, there isn't a subaru manual transmission built that would work well. The D/R 5spds will break, and all the stronger 5 and 6spds don't have the gear reduction to work well with bigger tires. That's what makes the auto better. If you are set on a manual trans, using Bill Hincher's adapter bellhousing with a 4x4 toyota trans and transfer case would work. That requires extensive modification and enough lift to clear a front axle, which doesn't sound like what you're looking for. The 2.5l's have a lot better bottom end than the 2.0's. That's why I recommend the leg/for 2.5XT's as a donor Its the ea82 so it would fit right? Im willing to do a single turbo, I was just under the impression they use a small and a big turbo so they can have it engage at low rpm and high rpm, I didnt realize they had made such major improvements to the engine since then. I also feel I should be more exact in my terminology when I say 'offroad'. I really mean ill be doing rallycross styled offroad...like dirt roads, not like rock crawling or whatever. I do like the idea of getting a huge lift and mounting up Toyota parts as you suggested though! I live in Colorado and use the 4wd quite a bit...and in snow when the weather allows of course I love the look of this car and look forward to making this my own unique car...ive owned it for over 10 years and its real special to me. Its got plenty of potential, and ive got money to put into it right now. Im sorry if my inexperience is frustrating...but I really appreciate the help and suggestions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortysayhi Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hey i live in co too! glad to see some more people. But the small vs. big turbos its power but also it is the time from when the turbo starts to when you get power. smaller turbos theres less lag from when you get power but you don't get as MUCH power as a bigger turbo. Twin turbos do have a little more power but you have the issues of more work and more parts to break. i personally would just do a single EJ22T (which is whats going in my brat soon). Also with a Ea82t sedan, and all my friends who have turbo sti's/ wrx's, and even audi's one single turbo can produce quite a bit of hp, low end and top end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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