converting FWD to 4WD??

[75subie]

how hard would it be to convert a FWD hatch to 4wd? i am looking at an 81 ea81 fwd, and have a rusty ea71 4wd. would a ea71 s/r 4wd tranny bolt up to the ea81? i`ve never done the swap.i think the bell housings looked different.also, is the body different on fwds?or will my rear diff and susp bolt onto the fwd?any help is appreciated. i really like the FWD because its rust free and looks nice:D but i really need a 4wd:(

[Jerry DeMoss]

I have looked at doing this before as well.I have heard that it is really kind of tough to do.I don't have much to say about it cause I havn't had the experience with it.

[BoostedBalls]

I've done a 2wd 1986 GL-10 to 4wd and it wasn't that hard. I know some guys shove an ea82 rear under an ea81 body. And it gives you the option of disc brakes in the rear. Just make sure the diff is the same ratio.

 

Now might be a good time to just stick ea82 stuff under the whole thing, front and back. Parts are sure as hell easier to find.

[Caboobaroo]

I know Hondasucks did it on an '82 sedan and it worked fine, just had to make a couple mods to the body since they don't have a certain nut that's needed to bolt it to the body. He just drilled through the body and put an actual nut on it but I bet you could weld a nut to a metal coupon and then weld to the body. Would make it a lot stronger I would think.

[TomRhere]

Not sure on the 1st Gens, but on the 2nd Gens, you have to swap gas tank also, unless you're lifting it at the same time. On the 2nd Gens, there's a indent in the gas tank for the rear diff on the 4WD, it's not there on the 2WD (FWD) ones. So you may want to look at the tanks on both to see if they need swapped.

[the sucker king]

i was in your exact situation. i had a rusty 4wd '80 hatch with a 1600 and single range. i bought a 2wd '80 hatch with a 1800 auto and near perfect body. i wouldn't call it difficult, but time consuming and at times patience trying. go slowly, i converted mine over the coarse of a winter, so i wouldn't recomend taking your daily driver apart and trying to convert it over a weekend. come monday, you'll have to hitch to work.

yes the tanks need swapping, but that's no problem at all since you will have the rear crossmember out. you don't need to swap front suspension, but the 4wd struts are adjustable, so i did. the single range tranny will end up in your backyard with snow on it. get a d/r from a junkyard. other than that, i would say the single biggest pain in the rump roast was swapping pedal clusters. there is lots of little stuff like cutting a bigger hole in the body for the stick shift, and mounting the fwd lever.

also i have been told the only reason i didn't need to bang the hell out of the body to make the new trany fit was because i was using the body of an automatic car, which had a wider tunnel. if the new car had been a manual 2wd, the tunnel would be narrower and require mucho bango. hope that helps, ask me an specifics you want, i'll try to help. i feel bad for subarus who were born with power only to their front wheels. through organ donor programs like this one, some day all old subarus will walk on all fours.

[BoostedBalls]

I didn't have to switch gas tanks on my 1986 GL-10, it had the recession for the diff.

 

 

Not sure on the 1st Gens, but on the 2nd Gens, you have to swap gas tank also, unless you're lifting it at the same time. On the 2nd Gens, there's a indent in the gas tank for the rear diff on the 4WD, it's not there on the 2WD (FWD) ones. So you may want to look at the tanks on both to see if they need swapped.

[the sucker king]

I didn't have to switch gas tanks on my 1986 GL-10, it had the recession for the diff.

 

yes on gen 3 cars the gas tanks for 4wd and 2wd were the same, but the car in question is an 81 and i am absolutely certain the tanks are different. i was told the minimum you would have to lift your gen2 car to get the diff not to rub on a 2wd tank is 4 inches. the 2wd tanks on gen2 cars hold 13.2 gallons as opposed to 11.9 gallons in 4wd tanks. there is a VERY noticable difference in the tanks just by lookin at them.

[the sucker king]

how hard would it be to convert a FWD hatch to 4wd? i am looking at an 81 ea81 fwd, and have a rusty ea71 4wd. would a ea71 s/r 4wd tranny bolt up to the ea81? i`ve never done the swap.i think the bell housings looked different.also, is the body different on fwds?or will my rear diff and susp bolt onto the fwd?any help is appreciated. i really like the FWD because its rust free and looks nice:D but i really need a 4wd:(

 

after re-reading you post i realize that this all depends what your "rusty ea71 4wd" is. are you talking about a gen1 body? cause if you are the suspension parts and gas tank won't swap in a straight up bolt on mannor. i had assumed you were talking about mutating 2 different gen2 cars. if not, forget about my advice, it won't fly.

[75subie]

thanks suckerking, yes, i`m talking about a gen 2 1980 hatch 4wd with a 1600.the tranny on the 81 i`m looking at is a manual. so the tranny tunnel will be too small for a d/r?thanks for the advice,

Jon

[the sucker king]

i`m looking at is a manual. so the tranny tunnel will be too small for a d/r?thanks for the advice,

Jon

 

that is what i was told, but i wouldn't know first hand as my car was an automatic. you can make it fit, though