gl turbo coupe or rx?

[GlTurbo1987]

What is the difference between an subaru rx and a gl turbo coupe? mine says gl turbo, but some of the pics on here say rx.... im confused

[Phizinza]

Does yours have a LSD rear diff? Maybe thats the difference? Sorry I can't help more

[Dr. RX]

What is the difference between an subaru rx and a gl turbo coupe? mine says gl turbo, but some of the pics on here say rx.... im confused

It's all in the VIN, if it is a 56B, it is a RX, if not, it isn't. There were some GL Turbo 3dr in 86 that actually had the 56B in the VIN, I had one, but no where on the car was there any decal stating it was a RX, if it wasn't for very bad cancerous rust, that car would still be around. Some of the aero body kit parts were only available on 87 and on RX 3drs.

[subaru_styles]

difference between teh 87 turbo coupe and RX coupe..

 

RX gets the full body gorund efffects, paint matched (turbo coupe just got front dam & wing), paint matched mirrors, and the special high damping suspension with stiffer front springs

[GlTurbo1987]

Oh ok thanks.....yeah mine has the front air dam and the wing....damn it i love my car, but i want all wheel drive...how hard would it be to convert it? i mean they are basically the same car are they not?

 

P.S. Styles i looked at your pics, and have come to the conclusion that i love your cars

[idosubaru]

mr.radon on www.xt6.net converted his FWD XT6 to AWD. not easy, but not impossible. he did have to do some cutting/welding for something but i can't recall what it was. i think the center bearing support mounting bolts for the driveshaft.....but that's from memory. personally i'd rather take my driveshaft to a driveshaft shop and have them build me a single piece driveshaft anyway. then that wouldn't be an issue.

 

actually...maybe those holes were there but the front differential mounting flange was not present so that had to be installed and required some cutting, welding. yours could differ from the XT6. look for 2 mounting locations for the center bearing support and also the rear differential mounting locations. if you have those it would simplify things.

[TahoeFerrari]

Just a general statement here:

 

4wd GL 3-door and GL wagons have same wheel base and mechanical parts are pretty much interchangeable (NA to NA and probably turbo to turbo) in my experience. I've got lots of parts on my 3 door that came from wagons - including some from post '89 wagons - which are called Loyales and are AWD. My .02 is that the AWD transmission and rear end from an RX or a later Loyale would bolt right in an '87 3-door. There might be some issues with interior console around the transmission. I think that '87 was also the first year that Subaru offered fulltime 4WD - I recall a friend that used to have an '87 turbo 3-door (not an RX) that was full time 4WD. So the hardware is around to do a conversion though you might have to hunt for it.

 

Another .02 (OK, that's 4 cents worth). Personally I think AWD is a waste. Most of the time when the roads are dry you just don't need it. Front wheel drive is just fine. AWD is just not as fuel efficient as selectable 4WD just like an automatic a transmission is not as effecient as a manual one. That's why I'm sticking with my old d/r 5 speed Subaru's. I'd love something newer, but not as long as the only option is AWD.

[stngllhm]

Just a general statement here:

 

4wd GL 3-door and GL wagons have same wheel base and mechanical parts are pretty much interchangeable (NA to NA and probably turbo to turbo) in my experience. I've got lots of parts on my 3 door that came from wagons - including some from post '89 wagons - which are called Loyales and are AWD. My .02 is that the AWD transmission and rear end from an RX or a later Loyale would bolt right in an '87 3-door. There might be some issues with interior console around the transmission. I think that '87 was also the first year that Subaru offered fulltime 4WD - I recall a friend that used to have an '87 turbo 3-door (not an RX) that was full time 4WD. So the hardware is around to do a conversion though you might have to hunt for it.

 

Another .02 (OK, that's 4 cents worth). Personally I think AWD is a waste. Most of the time when the roads are dry you just don't need it. Front wheel drive is just fine. AWD is just not as fuel efficient as selectable 4WD just like an automatic a transmission is not as effecient as a manual one. That's why I'm sticking with my old d/r 5 speed Subaru's. I'd love something newer, but not as long as the only option is AWD.

 

 

not all loyale wagons AWD only a few automatic ones are. most loyales are like the gl and have partime 4WD.

 

on another note i swapped an rx AWD tranny into my wagon and every thing matched up but it was already 4WD

[Dr. RX]

Converting to AWD if you have a on-demand 4WD tranny is just a matter of replacing the tranny. Make sure that the rear differential is the same same the one in that car that the AWD tranny came from. If both come from Turbo cars, they are most likely 3.70 (maybe even LSD). There were AWD trannies in N/A cars, those will have a 3.90 rear diff. Another thing to be aware of is the front axle splines where they attach to the tranny, a turbo will be different from a N/A, so if you have a turbo now, it would be best to get that AWD from a turbo car.

 

TahoeFerrari, the wheel base is that same on all EA82 series cars, sedan, 3dr and wagon. All driveline and suspension parts are interchangeable.