subyrally Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 i currently have a rx sitting in my driveway, been having issues with it since i got it. as much as i love the car, i am thinking a bout getting rid of it. i really want to get a brat, but i like the rx, well at least the drive train and suspension. i am thinking about stripping out the car and then getting abrat, then id swap over all the parts i could from the rx that would make an improvement on the brat. id definatley swap over the 5 spd d/r tranny and rear lsd from the rx. id try to swap over the suspension and rims as well. what im trying to figure out now is what else id be able to swap in, idbe eventually trying for the ea82t after a while, once ive saved enough for a proper build up of the engine. what else would i need to take from the rx to get a rx brat?? are the rear brakes able to be mounted on a brat? are the front brakes the same or are they larger from the rx? other than swapping parts over, would i have to fabricate anythng to make it work? and also, after i get the parts ill need from the rx, ill be selling any parts that i ccant use and then selling the shell, hell, id even give it away if the person who wants it would pay for transport. if anyone has any advice or suggestions, let me know. thanks tim c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBrumby Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Yeh rear brakes and diff are bolt up. But as for rear susp. brat rear ends have a tourion bar and rx's have coilovers. You could probably do it as i have seen ea81 with rear coilovers. Yeh you could even throw in the seats. Yeh I am pretty sure the rx's have bigger rottors but ea81 and ea82 front suspension are a little different, for example the balljoint is a larger so you couldnot just wack the hub assy on the brat, so then you think why not use the ea82 controll arm but the ea82's are a bit wider so the lower controll arms are also wider so they cant be swapped into the brat without dramatically affecting geometry. And the strut top differs appearently. Not an ea82 expert but i think that the gist of the situation. For best results with the lsd fab up some mounts for the rear sway bar and take it off the rx's with rear diff and brakes. The fabin' is required as brat's didnot come with any rear swaybars stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 you would have to find away around the front axles. the brat has 23 splines and the rx is 25 spline, you will have to have custom axles made, or do the ea82 suspension conversion and use 5mt turbo axles for ea82. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyrally Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 thats what i thought about the axles. anyone know it te cups on the axles are interchangable? if anything, when i get a brat, i do want to put in a s spd d/r and lsd from the rx. i guess ill have to wait till i get ahold of a brat to actually take a look at every thing and see what will wor and what wont. im sure i could make it all work, im just not sure how yet. as for the seats, thats most likely going to be the first thing i put into the brat, well, that and the 15" pugs i have on my rx. i spent too much on the tires for that car to just toss em. oh well, i gotta go to work so ill be back later today. peace tim c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. RX Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 thats what i thought about the axles. anyone know it te cups on the axles are interchangable? if anything, when i get a brat, i do want to put in a s spd d/r and lsd from the rx. i guess ill have to wait till i get ahold of a brat to actually take a look at every thing and see what will wor and what wont. im sure i could make it all work, im just not sure how yet. as for the seats, thats most likely going to be the first thing i put into the brat, well, that and the 15" pugs i have on my rx. i spent too much on the tires for that car to just toss em. oh well, i gotta go to work so ill be back later today. peace tim c. Just use that axles out of your RX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 dont forget the rx axles are longer than the brat. the doj is too big to swap onto the ea81 axle if you are relly serious you should consider the ea82 suspension, that is if yu can fab and have access to tools. another option would be the custom axle route, but that may involve $$$$ a simpler solution would be to see if 23 spline stubs will swap onto the full time tranny, so you can just drop it in with the existing axles if you want my real opinion i would consider the ea82 mod(relocate control arm mount, ea82 inner tie rod(ps only) and modified strut cap) as this will let you use the rx struts, and also acommodate a 5 lug xt6 suspension i may be getting my modified crossmember this weekend and i will see if i can get a pic of the mount relocation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyrally Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 would the ea82t cross member bolt into the brat frame?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 you can put the RX springs onto ea81 struts..... of course it will lift it just over an inch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyrally Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 hmmm, havent a few peoples already converted their brats to ea82 drivetrain and suspension? i dont really want to lift it if i can avoid it, id like to make it more of a rally style set up than an off roader.i want ti to be good for drivein to work on the highway and then i could take it down gravel roads and just tool around town. maybe surprize a few ricers when im done with it. i need to try to aquire a brat now, i dont want to keep dumping money into the rx just to keep it even running, which at the moment isnt happening. keep the ideas flowing. thanks tim c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. RX Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 dont forget the rx axles are longer than the brat. the doj is too big to swap onto the ea81 axle if you are relly serious you should consider the ea82 suspension, that is if yu can fab and have access to tools. another option would be the custom axle route, but that may involve $$$$ a simpler solution would be to see if 23 spline stubs will swap onto the full time tranny, so you can just drop it in with the existing axles if you want my real opinion i would consider the ea82 mod(relocate control arm mount, ea82 inner tie rod(ps only) and modified strut cap) as this will let you use the rx struts, and also acommodate a 5 lug xt6 suspension i may be getting my modified crossmember this weekend and i will see if i can get a pic of the mount relocation To change the stub axles on the tranny, you'll need to pull the tranny apart. Just how much longer are the EA82 axles then the EA81s? The EJ axles are a whole 4 mm longer then the EA82 series, yet they work perfectly for a 5 bolt conversion. And if you are planning to use the EA82 front suspension, you'll need to use the EA82 axles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 hmmm, havent a few peoples already converted their brats to ea82 drivetrain and suspension? i dont really want to lift it if i can avoid it, id like to make it more of a rally style set up than an off roader.i want ti to be good for drivein to work on the highway and then i could take it down gravel roads and just tool around town. maybe surprize a few ricers when im done with it. i need to try to aquire a brat now, i dont want to keep dumping money into the rx just to keep it even running, which at the moment isnt happening. keep the ideas flowing. thanks tim c. So what's wrong with the RX?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyrally Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 the first engine i had in it was puking oil like there was no tomarrow into the intake due to a huge chunk of the compression ring being gone. then i got another enigine installed that and got a large coolant leak. i tihnk that hte problem that i am having is that i dont have enough saved up for a car that needs constant work, that and i originally got the car without anything under the hood. i want a brat for a few reasons, one is that the ea81 is very reliable and ive always wanted a bratsince the first time i saw one. idealy, i would love to be able to keep the rx and have it running the way i want and also get a brat and have that running the way i want as well. i originally got the rx for free cause it was taking up space at the garage i worked in. i used it to learn about subarus and how to work on cars. it ran fora while then had some minor electrical issues that prevented it from starting for two months then ran again with more issues. on top of all that, i ran out of money that i had saved wheni quit my job at the garage. im just getting tired of having a second car that i cant even drive right now, id rather have something thats useful till i have enough money to play, now that im working again, i can save up to get my impreza tuned up like i should have about 20k miles ago. actually, its more like 25k but at least i keep it regular with oil. either way, i want a brat, ive been searching for one for over a year now and happened upon one not too far from me, i just need to find a way to get the money for it. id rather have a slow brat than a dead rx sitting in my driveway, at least it would earn its keep and help my mom with her never ending home improvement projects. ill chine back in later, i gotta go see to a few things around town before it gets too late. peace tim c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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