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Built but bulletproof? EA81 that doesn't eat axles?


FlyB0y
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Heya all you built EA81 guys, I'm looking for one or both of these things: 4.44 gear swap (yeah who doesn't right? :drunk: IF it works :-p ) and/or built EA81 that is strong enough to turn 28's with np, but doesn't eat CV's/stub axles like crazy ... since the 4.44 conversion has yet to be proven possible, I'm left with either the EJ22 swap or building the EA81, I was pretty set on the EJ till I realized how easily I will be eating CV's stub axles, etc.

 

Is a hopped up but not totally maxed out EA81 realistic? If so, how was it done?

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I have a CCR EA81 that has EA71 pistons and Brat cams. Eats through a 32/36 Weber. I have 28" Swampers. I put in NEW GCK axles and havn't had a single problem breaking them. You wont get huge power with out major work, I can barely hold hiway speeds. Bottem end is alot better, tonnes of torque:brow: . If I had it to do all over I'd go with an EJ motor. Oh well, live and learn. Tim

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I have a CCR EA81 that has EA71 pistons and Brat cams. Eats through a 32/36 Weber. I have 28" Swampers. I put in NEW GCK axles and havn't had a single problem breaking them. You wont get huge power with out major work, I can barely hold hiway speeds. Bottem end is alot better, tonnes of torque:brow: . If I had it to do all over I'd go with an EJ motor. Oh well, live and learn. Tim

 

Thanks for keeping me on the "straight and narrow" :D Tim, I was mis-informed, I got the impression that an EJ-22 would be extreamly hard on the CV's and such, nd I just got off the phone with John, so it sounds like if I drive like a maniac (Free-Range :-p ) I WILL twist them off, but not just by using an EJ ... gonna have to put in the phantom locker at the same time tho, or just remember to watch my take-offs (yeah right!:rolleyes::drunk: ) untill I do in the mean-time I might just run some slightly smaller tires (or just stay on-road till the swap ...:eek: )... anyone have some cheap used Khumo Venture MT's for sale? :-p

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Mmm axles taste like candy...

 

Seriously tho, with the 2.2 and the 5spd d/r, just don't drive like a jackass in 2wd, in 4wd you can get away with all the extra horses of the 2.2 and the gen 2 axles, but you, FLYBOY, NEED MORE POWER in a big bad way. this pic shows me stuck up to my gills and look how much clearence that brat has, but it just can't turn the tires without dumping the clutch at 4K...

741IMGP0250-med.JPG

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Mmm axles taste like candy...

 

Seriously tho, with the 2.2 and the 5spd d/r, just don't drive like a jackass in 2wd, in 4wd you can get away with all the extra horses of the 2.2 and the gen 2 axles, but you, FLYBOY, NEED MORE POWER in a big bad way. this pic shows me stuck up to my gills and look how much clearence that brat has, but it just can't turn the tires without dumping the clutch at 4K...

741IMGP0250-med.JPG

 

Yeah, yeah ... I know ... what is worse? clearance and no power, or power and no clearance? I'm not sure which is worse (I think no power is more pathetic tho :o ..

 

thx for posting the pic! ... what happend to your double date?

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i dont know where this tranny stub issue came in, but i have no problems, i just dont clutch dump. if you got the Ej22 under the hood, you can just use the gas. you dont have to dump the clutch at 4k. on the highway i dont have to use ANY throttle at all. i would bet that you would turn 28'' tires with not too many issues. if your looking for low end torque, go with an EJ motor, and use the EJ exhaust, or custom route.

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i am not even running a built motor,all the normal mods......and i have no problems really.i have good torque,regained my high end when i installed a weber ,am running 27 inchers...........and she seems to love it(besides that damn clunk)

ohhh, and thats with about 150 pnds in bumpers..

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i run 28.5 TSL's with just a weber, welded diff and better exhaust, turns em fine. Although i have broken a diff stub that was in the snow, the tire hit just right while hillclimbing. Normally I don't have a problem, just use common sense and throttle smartly, especially with that second axle in....

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hmmm I am beginning to wonder if there isn't something else wrong robbing my power then :confused:

 

I have a webber too and custom 2" catless exhaust, and untill I went up from the 26.1 coopers to the 27.4" TSL's (in reality they are more like 27.7) maybe it wasn't the tires as much as some other problem I didn't catch

 

I will have to have my mechanic check things out for me ... I had a friend time it for me when I got a distributor (I couldn't read the timming marks very well with the old one I borrowed, he had a nice digital) from the JY and the first time he did it it was wayyy off ... hmmm gonna look into it :burnout:

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Proper timing is key on those engines, especially with a weber and a good exhaust, you should be able to advance the timing out to 12 ish, but make sure you don't detonate.

 

check your plugs, and "read" them, that should also tell you what you may need to be doing with your carburettor.

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Yep, I will do that, pretty sure that hasn't changed but now that I think about it, it didn't seem to be quite right even after he "fixed" the timming after his first try :drunk: I have a great mechanic that lives about 5 min from me :brow:

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When I was running an EA81, never had any problems with the axles. They were one of the few things that were still origonal on my Brat, untill the motor upgrade. I think that if your pushing anything over 130 ponies into them axles, they prolly ain't going to be happy. I can rebuild a rear axle in a matter of minutes, on the trail, in the mud.

 

Here is a picture of my latest axle death. At the same time I did this I shredded the inner cage on the other axle, and toasted the gears in the tranny:

31blown_axle2.jpg

 

Jes remember, the more stuff you build stronger, the more stuff your going to break. And the axles on a Soob are the weakest links in the drivetrain.

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When I was running an EA81, never had any problems with the axles. They were one of the few things that were still origonal on my Brat, untill the motor upgrade. I think that if your pushing anything over 130 ponies into them axles, they prolly ain't going to be happy. I can rebuild a rear axle in a matter of minutes, on the trail, in the mud.

 

Here is a picture of my latest axle death. At the same time I did this I shredded the inner cage on the other axle, and toasted the gears in the tranny:

31blown_axle2.jpg

 

Jes remember, the more stuff you build stronger, the more stuff your going to break. And the axles on a Soob are the weakest links in the drivetrain.

 

Yeah ... now that I am learning that peeps with EA81's are running bigger tires and not having the same problem, I am investigating the power-loss. If I can get a stock EA81 to do what I want, I will leave it at that. I think I found the culprit ... the #3 spark plug had been stripped, and I got a heli-coil kit for it, and forgot to install it :drunk: all this time I have had my #3 spark plug with semi-stripped threads and nothing but some RTV to help seal it :rolleyes: gee, I wonder if that might have caused some power loss? :dead: :-p

 

It's kinda funny tho, the temporary fix held as long as I was running the coopers, and just happened to start leaking again some time after I put on the Swampers, so I just thought it was the bigger tires :lol: ... I need annother vacation or maybe start drinking when I work on my car so I can think more clearly :rolleyes:

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i have 145hp (stock numbers from subaru) plus a few performance enhancers, in an 80something hatch.

i run 28 inch tires

i have a 4 inch lift that lowers the transmission as much as the rest of the lift, unlike alot of lifts that run only two inches lower. i also made shorter/solid motor mounts, and solid mounted the transmission.

this means i have stock cv axle angles, and my engine and tranny dont twist uncontrollably.

when all this twisting happens(like with stock rubber mounts), coupled with the increased cv axle angles... you break stuff alot.

 

untill i got my cv axles straight as stock, i was eating through them pretty quick. now i have 10k on a set and have had no breakage. the strength is there, i can do circle burnouts on dry pavement, and havent grenaded anything yet. angles are killer, just ask people runing early aa lifts.

 

now on the ea81 powering big tires... i would kill myself if my stockish hatchback with only 26 inch tires on it, had anything bigger.

i say swap in an ea82 mpfi or spfi. more power right from the factory(ask subaru) and it bolts in like stock.

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i have 145hp (stock numbers from subaru) plus a few performance enhancers, in an 80something hatch.

i run 28 inch tires

i have a 4 inch lift that lowers the transmission as much as the rest of the lift, unlike alot of lifts that run only two inches lower. i also made shorter/solid motor mounts, and solid mounted the transmission.

this means i have stock cv axle angles, and my engine and tranny dont twist uncontrollably.

when all this twisting happens(like with stock rubber mounts), coupled with the increased cv axle angles... you break stuff alot.

 

untill i got my cv axles straight as stock, i was eating through them pretty quick. now i have 10k on a set and have had no breakage. the strength is there, i can do circle burnouts on dry pavement, and havent grenaded anything yet. angles are killer, just ask people runing early aa lifts.

 

now on the ea81 powering big tires... i would kill myself if my stockish hatchback with only 26 inch tires on it, had anything bigger.

i say swap in an ea82 mpfi or spfi. more power right from the factory(ask subaru) and it bolts in like stock.

 

I really like the idea of solid mounted engine & tranny mounts ... do you have the specs on those? I'd like to make some :burnout:

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solid mounts on a frame that is designed to flex is a disaster waiting to happen, if you dont like the amount of twisting get new mounts and/or polyurethane mounts, urethane is a lot more rigid but not solid and will last much much longer. you WILL break stuff with solid mounts.

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