pontoontodd Posted January 20, 2023 Author Share Posted January 20, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 3:51 AM, el_freddo said: I hang out for these updates!! With the above, are you saying the one bolt came before the five bolt R160? Or is there and early and later version of the two diffs (that I don’t know about)? Asking as the five bolt came before the one bolt. I know the 1980 brumby/BRAT models run with the five bolt diff and you could bolt one any five bolt r160 into the back of them. The one bolt I believe appeared mid to late naughties, but I think the five bolt is still to be found in those years as well depending on which vehicle model you look at - I could be wrong though! Cheers Bennie Excellent question, I don't know. The EA vintage Subarus had bolt in drive stubs, right? We used many of those in our buggy. I'm almost positive those were five bolt so maybe you're right. Can't remember what my Loyale had in it. I think all the EJ Subarus we've had have had the five bolt R160. Since this one bolt R160 is out of one of the oldest EJ Subarus I've ever had and it's clearly smaller and lighter I just assumed it was an older design and the five bolt was an upgrade. FWIW my red Impreza has a five bolt but also has junkyard markings on it so it's definitely not stock. Not sure what kind my 96 Impreza had in it, never had to take it out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 All EAs were 5-bolt with the bolt in (hollow) stub axles. I don't completely know the pattern, but they were definitely used simultaneously from the '90s until at least 2015 or so. I think in base model/small engine optioned cars. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 Originally put this together for a friend, then realized it might be helpful to others wanting to do an STI swap. Basically everything you'd need to upgrade the drivetrain. Prices are roughly what I've paid in the last few months in US dollars. Yes you can use an automatic driveshaft and swap the flange from R160 to R180 but the STI driveshaft has significantly bigger u joints. If you find the right swap kit you can probably get a cheaper total price but I already had the trans. That's what I did in my black Outback, for instance just used the stock clutch and flywheel and only replaced the disc and release bearing. Can also buy a lot of these things from the dealer but they're more expensive. Conversely some of it you can buy on rockauto etc for close to used prices but I'd rather have factory parts for most of this. $2500 trans used 2006+ to fit our planetary low range $200 driveshaft used - get one same wheelbase as the car you're putting it in, 2007 STI seems to fit first gen Impreza perfect, got a newer one that fit my Legacy Outback. $715 diff used 2006+ $150 shifter used -2013? at some point they made the shifter longer I've been told $150 flywheel used but resurfaced $10 flywheel bolts (800610740) $8 flywheel pilot bearing (816212020) $12 flywheel dust cover (30216AA070) IMO required for off pavement use $6 pressure plate bolts (800508310) $450 clutch/pressure plate/release bearing Exedy FJK1000 from Rock Auto, looks like rallysportdirect is cheaper but not in stock $92 ACT monoloc from IAG - definitely optional $70 clutch slave used $10 clutch line 37250FE052 $23 clutch hose 37251FE030 $2 clutch hose banjo bolt 112925161 $2 clutch hose crush washers 114130151 $104 Trans mount 6MT 41022FE010 $75 starter used Probably not required but in order to run female front axles you need: $96 front axle stubs 4EAT 38415AA070 $5 front axle stub seals RF806730031 $5 front axle stub seals LF806730032 $2 snaprings for front axle stubs 805329010 Also since my car is an auto I needed: $35 clutch master used $75 STI pedals used (I think any Subaru manual trans pedals would work, looks like even Forester pedals would bolt in) Finally, you need one of the following: STI CV axles (rear at least), knuckles/hubs, brakes - can't fit 15s and are a larger wheel bolt pattern Slammo says "04 STi rear knuckles let you stay 5x100 and use stock 04 STi rear axles with an R180, and you can fit the WRX 2-pot calipers without adapters, but you have to use special rotors since the STi parking brake drum is a bigger diameter" but those 04 STI rear knuckles are rare. Suberdave's conversion races - maybe these would work OK on a lighter car if driven carefully but then what's the point? Definitely the cheapest route but at least moves the weak link to the axle which can be replaced in the field in a reasonable amount of time. Billet rear knuckles and R180 to front CV axle stubs - probably cheaper than STI knuckles, hubs, and brakes, and I think the best solution for reasons already discussed. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 Still need a few parts before we put the engine and trans in. B replaced some of the coolant hoses and put the Kein engine mounts on. I put the used H6 radiator in. Bottom lines up perfect, need to move the top mounts but that'll be easy. It'll be tight with the EZ36 even with no fans. Modified the trailing arm fixture to also fixture longer lateral links. Tacked up a set. Waiting on Whiteline bushings so we can easily test fit these. Much easier to swap in and out than the stock bushings. B's driveshaft has been vibrating occasionally. He thought it was the center support bearing. He filled the old one out of his green Forester with urethane and then swapped it out. As he was doing that he noticed the front u-joint on his driveshaft was extremely worn, probably missing all the needles in two cups. Good thing he replaced it but the one he just put in vibrates over 55mph. Didn't get marked when it got disassembled so we'll probably try clocking it 180. TT called today and told me the writing on the rear diff of the red Impreza was just his way of telling me when he'd replaced the fluid. So that five bolt diff is probably stock. Maybe the one bolt diffs were a base model automatic thing? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) Wired in a connector for DBW TB and installed that. Installed low range in my other good 6MT for the Impreza. EZ30"D" radiator on left, EJ22 radiator from 98 Impreza on right. EJ22 and 4EAT from 98 Impreza. EZ36 and 6MT in 98 Impreza. Biggest issue seems to be radiator clearance. I've seen at least one person put this engine in this car with AC and a ~2" thick radiator but the lower passenger side cam phaser was basically rubbing on their radiator. Seems to be the same for me, which wouldn't be good for off road use. Going to shop around for some narrower radiators, should be a decent fit if we can just avoid those cam phasers. Not a lot of room in front, stock condenser wouldn't fit in front of radiator support due to headlights, would be a tight fit for condenser and fans between that and front bumper anyhow. Yes at this stage it wouldn't be too difficult to shift the bumper forward a bit but it already sticks out pretty far. On the plus side, should be a pretty straight shot for a skid from the radiator support to the front crossmember, might have to drop it down a bit for the oil pan but the timing covers are pretty high up. Headers need to be shortened vertically and probably at least the driver's side extended to put the flange in a better spot. They're not bolted up 100% so might look a little off. Plenty of room in trans tunnel. Z turned up some trailing arm sleeves for the front pivot. He also did some test fitting on the R180 to female front axle diff stubs. I have the RR billet knuckle almost done. So we're closer to getting that whole package figured out. While we were doing a bunch of this disassembly and assembly we weighed a bunch of things: 11# 98 Impreza EJ22 alternator 14# 2013 Outback EZ36 alternator 466# 98 Impreza EJ22 engine and 4EAT w/ PS pump, engine mounts, starter, engine oil 362# 2013 Outback EZ36 engine w/ flywheel, clutch, PS pump, engine mounts 198# 2007 STI 6MT 127# 5MT So the EZ36 & 6MT is only about 100# heavier than the EJ22 & 4EAT. Edited February 12, 2023 by pontoontodd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 That billet knuckle!! It would be sick to make a billet EA swing arm with the EJ bearing setup to make rear disc swaps easier, then we could legally (in Oz) and easily upgrade the tyre size to the same as the forester without major complicated engineering testing we require over here. But that would be Uber expensive to make up, hence why it’s not done. Keep the good work coming! You have this going in no time! Cheers Bennie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted February 15, 2023 Author Share Posted February 15, 2023 13 hours ago, el_freddo said: That billet knuckle!! It would be sick to make a billet EA swing arm with the EJ bearing setup to make rear disc swaps easier, then we could legally (in Oz) and easily upgrade the tyre size to the same as the forester without major complicated engineering testing we require over here. But that would be Uber expensive to make up, hence why it’s not done. Keep the good work coming! You have this going in no time! Cheers Bennie Thanks Bennie, from where I sit we have a lot of work ahead of us to get the Impreza running but I'm looking forward to driving it. Finally got video from our 2021 Vegas to Reno finish edited and posted on Youtube. Six minute version: https://youtu.be/zaS10G5Nnws Thirteen minute version: https://youtu.be/CzU8stsycP4 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelvw Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 Lots of great work going on here, but I can't believe you bought headers: love it!! K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 Finally getting some video editing done, more to come in the next few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted February 26, 2023 Author Share Posted February 26, 2023 (edited) Got the right rear billet knuckle finished. I made a couple of legit trailing arms using sleeves Z turned up. Sleeves are about 50% thicker than OEM and made out of chromoly so hopefully they will stay round unlike the used one in the background. So I think we can now fully mock up the rear suspension. I finally got brackets and bolts for the AC compressor so B got the accessories and belt on. We wanted to shorten the primary tubes on the headers for more ground clearance. They slide in bores in the flange and are welded inside. First step B cut them off about 1" from the flange. Then I bored them out on the Bridgeport. After that it was easy to knock the rest of the tube off and B ground the welds a bit. Then we were able to pry/hammer the tubes back in the flanges and tack welded them on. Passenger side one was pretty good but we wound up angling the drivers side tubes toward the center of the car for more clearance to the crossmember. We'll probably cut off the flange on that one and extend it for more clearance but they're about as far up as I feel comfortable with. I want some clearance to the crossmember and rack boots. B also removed the auto shifter and put in the STI shifter but we need a rear pivot bushing. On the plus side it looks like we should have a decent amount of room for the hi/low and lock/unlock shifters in front of the stock shifter and room for a steering brake (two handle?) next to the parking brake. It appears that a 99-2005 Miata radiator should fit beside the passenger side cam phasers so I plan on getting one of those. One nice thing is that there are at least a half dozen companies making thicker core all aluminum radiators for those Miatas. I think I'm going to go with the CSR. Main reason for wanting aluminum tanks is then I can get a second inlet welded in the top tank. Edited February 26, 2023 by pontoontodd 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelvw Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 The first gen is coming right along. Lets see the final install of L/R billet knuckles and chromoly trailing arms. Headers look close enough to the rack boots, I'd make heat shields or wrap the ends. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 Video from our trip to OK, TX, and NM with slammo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted March 1, 2023 Share Posted March 1, 2023 Hey Todd, this website could help with finding parts to the size you need. A mate got me on to it as we look for alternative parts on our MY Brumby/Brat utes… https://size.name/en That exhaust looks MINT! So shiny, but I bet not for long once offroad! Shame the three pipe done sit horizontally flat beside each other for maximum clearance. If you went that way it would probably be easier to fab up your own headers for that setup! Cheers Bennie 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 43 minutes ago, el_freddo said: Hey Todd, this website could help with finding parts to the size you need. A mate got me on to it as we look for alternative parts on our MY Brumby/Brat utes… https://size.name/en That exhaust looks MINT! So shiny, but I bet not for long once offroad! Shame the three pipe done sit horizontally flat beside each other for maximum clearance. If you went that way it would probably be easier to fab up your own headers for that setup! Cheers Bennie Wow! That's perhaps the greatest website I've ever seen. It's like going back fifteen years when the internet was useful. Thanks a million for the tip! Probably getting the headers ceramic coated but yeah I hope they won't stay clean and shiny long. Not that anyone will see them. Someone else online suggested what you just did with the pipes side by side, would definitely be the way to go but I just don't have time to make everything from scratch. Otherwise I'd finally build a two seat buggy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 On 2/28/2023 at 6:56 AM, travelvw said: The first gen is coming right along. Lets see the final install of L/R billet knuckles and chromoly trailing arms. Headers look close enough to the rack boots, I'd make heat shields or wrap the ends. K Here you go, rear suspension fully mocked up with fabricated links, front axles, and billet knuckles with bolt on wheel bearings. Might shorten the lateral links a bit but have to check. Should work as is. B and I got the engine and trans skids/mounts mostly fit and tacked up. Trans mount bracket, wanted it to protect the studs. Brackets bolted on in stock crossmember location need to be gusseted/trimmed. It hangs down a little farther than I'd like but is only about 1/4" lower than the headers and I didn't want those to be the lowest point. Should be a bit stronger than most of our engine/trans skids. Needs a few lateral tubes in front of oil pan and headers. And obviously some sheet/plate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Looks awesome, great craftsmanship there! Are those front control arms reinforced stock units or completely custom built from scratch? They look impressive! Cheers Bennie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 3 hours ago, el_freddo said: Looks awesome, great craftsmanship there! Are those front control arms reinforced stock units or completely custom built from scratch? They look impressive! Cheers Bennie built from scratch, see post 85 and the next few afterwards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 (edited) Checking rear suspension travel, interferences, and axle lengths. At full bump the RR inner CV is almost extended all the way, balls are pretty close to the big snapring. Over a half inch from being bottomed out at full droop. LR is a little over 1/4" from being bottomed out at full droop. LR at full bump still has a lot of travel before it's fully extended. So I'll probably shorten the lateral links 1/16 or 1/8". Bottom of shock shaft hits lateral link at full droop, will probably bend lateral links to give a little clearance. This got me thinking about how we could get more travel. The shocks still have some to spare. Springs get close to coil bind and we've actually broken a couple of them so we don't want to work those any harder. Could potentially mount the springs in line with the strut bodies like most the aftermarket does but we seemed to have a lot of friction when we did that. With these axles there's quite a bit of room in both directions before they're the limiting factor. Wheel well is already going to need some rolling at a minimum so more bump travel would require either serious body surgery or more subframe lift. Really just need to tune what we have. Edited March 20, 2023 by pontoontodd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 20, 2023 Author Share Posted March 20, 2023 Box for rear trailing arms is still very close to the wheel. Might even rub just from the weld bead sticking out when finished if I just welded them as is. I plan on tweaking those for a little more clearance before welding. Shortened up the links on the driver's side by 1/8". While I was at it I refit the tube to the bottoms of the bushing sleeves rather than centered for some shock clearance. Not ideal structurally in tension/compression but that's almost certainly not how they'll fail. With the shorter links the inner CV still has a little room before it bottoms out at full droop. We also put a tire on and stuffed it up as high as it'd go with the jack and I still think rolling the fender and removing the rear bumper cover will be enough. High/low and lock/unlock shift levers/linkage tacked up: Seems like most of the compliance is in the trans mount so it should be stiff enough. There is an alarming amount of slop in those in line ball joints though, I need to find some better version of those or replace them with rod ends. B was able to shift high/low and lock/unlock while I turned the driveshaft. High/low is pretty easy, lock/unlock takes considerably more effort and turning. This is the same experience as in the Outback with the cables but is definitely easier with the levers. They have about a 2:1 mechanical advantage and you can actually push or pull hard with one hand. Plan on bending the right side lever to the right. Plan on just poking holes in that rubber boot for them to pass through, they don't move much at that level. B did say the left lever (hi/lo, requires more travel) does get close to the dash in low but that can be adjusted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 20, 2023 Author Share Posted March 20, 2023 (edited) Hard to tell from the pictures but this is after some massaging and trimming we did to get the condenser farther forward, maybe 1/2-3/4"? One of the little things we did was to bend the bracket/line on the driver's side (LF) of the condenser to give us a little more room for the radiator. One issue was this corner of the radiator support had a big radius/gusset to it so B notched that out and patched it back in. I have some grommets that will fit that washer for the radiator mount posts. Other side we've got a tube tacked in with a piece of hose for the post. Bottom of radiator will probably also be padded with rubber and will rest on radiator support. Radiator is for a 99-05 Mazda Miata and fits without any trimming or modifications. About a half dozen companies make thicker core aluminum radiators for those cars, this one has a 42mm thick core. Just narrow enough that it sits alongside the passenger side (LF) cam phasers. Unfortunately I think I should find/make some 90 degree bent water necks for the top tank. I might be able to get a hose with a tight enough bend to clear the PS pulley but I want to get one welded on the other side anyhow. While I'm at it I'll probably put a 1.5" water neck in the bottom and at a more downward angle for more clearance to the timing cover. Again, this one would probably work as is but it's smaller than stock (1 3/8"?) and the hose would be very close to the timing cover. Edited March 20, 2023 by pontoontodd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelvw Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Love the addition of the hi/lo shift levers over the cables. Looks like you are about finished mocking up the rear suspension. The entire skid plate frame looks well executed. Everything I'm seeing is an improvement over the Outback... man, you are taking this car to the next level! K 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 9 hours ago, travelvw said: Love the addition of the hi/lo shift levers over the cables. Looks like you are about finished mocking up the rear suspension. The entire skid plate frame looks well executed. Everything I'm seeing is an improvement over the Outback... man, you are taking this car to the next level! K Thanks K. I would have done levers instead of cables on the Outback but I kept thinking it'd be totalled by now. Should be much easier shifting. Yeah rear suspension is just about ready to weld and paint. Skid plate does hang a little lower than most of our other cars in order to protect the headers, hopefully that won't be too much of an issue. I think the biggest improvement over the black Outback will be the 1000#ish weight reduction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammo Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 Love seeing this come along, as K said everything looks improved compared to the previous cars. The trans crossmember and front skid plate integration in particular looks great and should really add some beef to the front end. Can't wait to get mine together and go wheeling again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted March 26, 2023 Author Share Posted March 26, 2023 Finally got video edited and posted from our Kentucky trip last year. https://youtu.be/1KxQLa__Ogk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 Video from our trip to Missouri last year. Have made some progress on the Impreza too, will post an update on that fairly soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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