Brat: Gen 1 with Gen 2 Engine/Tranny?

[simjason]

Hey y'all,

 

Newbie question:

 

I'm looking for a Brat (have a thread going about that already), and have just found the specs page on the site, so now I know more specifically what I'd like to find.

 

A 1981 Gen 1 GL with the 1800 / Dual Range setup. I have a feeling this will be a needle in a haystack...?

 

Thinking of other options... can a Gen 1 be retrofitted with the E-81 1800 engine and dual range setup from a Gen 2? How about with the E-81T (Turbo)? Pros...cons...if it's even possible/practical.

 

Thanks,

 

J

[75subie]

an ea81 CAN be put into a gen 1 with some fabrication, ask caboobaroo, he`s doing that exact thing.

 

you can also put a d/r tranny onto on ea71 with a fat case bell housing, here is the writeup: http://www.westcoaststompers.com/home.htm (look under subaru modifications, and then go to where it says "d/r transaxle onto a ea71 vehicle")

 

is it practical you say? yes and no, if your ea71 was running badly or not running at all (hg's, tick, etc.) then, yea, it would probly be worth the swap, as ea81s are easier to find motors and parts for, but if your ea71 is running strong, there are plenty of mods you can do to make it equivalent to an ea81. such as a higher flow exhaust, delta cams, weber carb, electronic disty, msd ignition (that would push your horses up ALOT), etc.

 

81 gl d/r brats are a pain to find, but they do show up every once in a while.

 

unless you want to do alot of wiring, stay away from turbo swaps.

[simjason]

Cool. Thanks for the info, man. Next newbie question...

 

The main thing behind this question wasn't so much about horsepower as it was the dual range tranny. What "range" is the single range tranny in a Gen 1? Is it a High or Lo range 4WD?

 

Thx,

 

J

[75subie]

oh, its high range.

[Caboobaroo]

like what 75subie said. Doing a turbo swap into a gen 1 Brat is painstaking when it comes to wiring it all correctly and making it look good. Also the EA81T engines don't have a lot more horsepower compared to a NA EA81 with a SPFI setup on it. Not worth it IMHO. Currently, I am dropping a '81 EA81 solid lifter 1800 with a single range 4-speed EA81 tranny, into my '78 Brat. Just got a full gasket set today for the engine and I will be putting on a SPFI setup from an EA82 onto it for the luxury of the fuel injection and the ease of starting in my area. The engine and tranny are a direct bolt in BUT, since I am staying with RWD, I am locking the tranny into 4WD with the front axles removed and calling it good. I have thought about putting the stock 4WD selector from my Brat back onto the tranny to keep it looking stock but this car is going to be far from it.

 

I have sourced a '81 GL 1800 Brat here in Wyoming but rust has gotten the best of it. In the same field with almost no rust, is a '80 DL 1600 Brat. I'm gonna go see if I can get them both and make one good one out of both of them. the GL has the jumpseats and a low rollbar and the DL has a low topper and a pushbar on the fornt of it;)

[simjason]

Sounds sweet.

 

What I'm planning is a lifted offroader, so low range is on the list of "must haves" in my book. Hmmm.... Maybe a later SPFI E-81 with a dual range tranny would be the ticket? Is any year of the E-81 1800/dual range setup a "direct bolt in" as you mention, or only certain model years? I assume it's the same motor and tranny in a wagon as in a Brat, or not?

 

Thanks for the continuing education, guys...

 

J

[75subie]

i can answer a couple of your questions, i`ll leave the rest to caboobaroo;)

 

the ea81s are all the same, whether its a wagon (up to 84), hatch(up to 88), or brat(up to 87)

 

you might want to go with a 5sp d/r tranny instead of a 4 speed.

 

i might be wrong, but i think the spfi comes from ea82 cars (88 and up) i personally like carbs, and i have heard that a weber will churn out the same amount of power as spfi, BUT its not as good for steep hills off roading, carbs will cut out, spfi will get gas constanlty.

 

you might be better off just starting with an ea81 car, they are ALOT easier to lift, plus you will already have the desirable motor and tranny already bolted in from the factory. ea71 cars are possible to lift, but you would have to fabricate the lift blocks and stuff yourself, while ea81 lifts are readily available from some suppliers on here

 

my 2 cents

[simjason]

Ooohh... bummer. Didn't know that there weren't lift kits for Gen 1s. Might just change my plans. I've always like the Gen 1 Brat, and wanted to get one in my teenage years. I just want one for a toy; for the heck of it. So, guess I'll sacrifice the offroad-abilty to get the bodystyle I've always preferred. :cool:

[Free Range]

the ea81s are all the same, whether its a wagon (up to 84), hatch(up to 88), or brat(up to 87)

 

nope, ea81's have some differences through the years, solid lifters from 80-84, hydro lifters after MY '84, Brats have a hotter cam for more torque(this might end with the hydro lifter motors?). On the '82 brat the carb is a carter weber, rather than the normal hitachi, the carter is worse off than the hicrappy, lots of little stuff, like distributors(nippon denso or hitachi), emmissions crap varies too.

 

almost any of the wiring on a ea71 car can be made to work for a basic ea81 motor swap, in general they run the same carb/sensors, little oddities abound in these swaps, the oil filler tube support bracket rubs the gen 1 master cyl, the air can rubs the gen 1 radiator hose...

 

my favorite badboy ea81: ea81 block, ea71 pistions, decked heads, depending on the decking you can end up with 13:1 compression. then go with the 32/36 weber, or spfi...

 

Oh the '80 and '81 4spd d/r has a lower first gear. the real reason you want an '80 or '81 ea81 brat is the d/r shifter linkage(otherwise you have to cut a hole for the later gen d/r shifter) and the associated 4spd d/r

 

 

the '78 and older cars are factory catless(non catalyst) makes it really easy to pass emmissions...

 

these things really are legos

-later on

[75subie]

yea, i guess if you want to get technical:-p

 

but any ea81 engine will fit in any ea81 body style, and will bolt up to any ea81 tranny;)

[Caboobaroo]

Putting a 5-speed into a gen 1 is not really recommended since the trans tunnel would have to be seriously modified for it to fit.

 

For the swap, I've heard about the front axle on the driver side being too close to the sterering box where it comes out of the transmission and can get in the way.

 

No one makes a lift kit that I know of for a gen 1, but I have seen a gen 1 wagon with a gen 2 rear suspension setup that was lifted.

The engine setup that I'm putting into my gen 1 Brat is a solid lifter EA81 from a '81 2wd wagon, SPFI from a late 80's EA82, single range 4wd 4-speed from a '83 DL 4wd wagon, and the stock rear diff out back. Why a single range you ask? Because the Brat is a RWD car now, not FWD/4WD. Better burnouts and such.

 

Also, finding upgrade parts for this bodystyle is pretty hard to do. I actually made a set of control arms to fit the EA81 knuckles, brakes and suspension in the front. I'm also going to be doing a rear disc swap as well. But other projects come first so this is kinda getting bumped back to the back burner again...