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WRX engine and awd swap


Rxbubaru
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I dont know if i saw this in the numerous threads ive looked through but is it possible to do a full WRX engine drivetrain and awd swap to a '89 RX:confused:

 

I know suberdave have done this swap.

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yep it should be as easy as any EJ swap......

 

lol. no. little different.

 

depending on what kind of WRX (early jdm setup like suberdave is using, or something newer) you're talking about, there are a few things that need to be considered. things like the rear diff, hydraulic clutch, radiator, intercooler, fuel pump controller, wiring.

 

nothing that couldn't be overcome, but that will be a bit more difficult than your average EJ swap.

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lol. no. little different.

 

depending on what kind of WRX (early jdm setup like suberdave is using, or something newer) you're talking about, there are a few things that need to be considered. things like the rear diff, hydraulic clutch, radiator, intercooler, fuel pump controller, wiring.

 

nothing that couldn't be overcome, but that will be a bit more difficult than your average EJ swap.

 

 

I missed the drive train part of the statement. if you used a standard EJ tranny it wouldn't be too very hard mechanically (on the wiring I am the loser and have no clue) getting the engine into the bay wouldn't be much harder than any EJ swap......... (especially if your car is already turbo with the proper cross member)

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I was looking into doing a late 90s early 2000 wrx engine. Thanks for the input the only hard thing to do is find a engine lol "good luck with that" is running through my head but until then ill run my stock ea82 turbo crate engine from japan only 30k miles. ill keep you all posted with progress:cool:

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I was looking into doing a late 90s early 2000 wrx engine. Thanks for the input the only hard thing to do is find a engine lol "good luck with that" is running through my head but until then ill run my stock ea82 turbo crate engine from japan only 30k miles. ill keep you all posted with progress:cool:

 

IMHO, don't get an EJ20K. They're expensive, and really not all that interesting.

 

save yourself some money (and time.....OBD I) with an EJ20G (older jdm 2.0t). Or, go all out, do it right and get a wrecked USDM '02-'05 WRX (can be had for ~$5k, a good chunk of that will be made back when selling off other parts). if you go USDM, you'll have the ability for openECU/enginuity tuning, lots of aftermarket support etc.

 

 

In my experience (I've only been involved to some extent in about 10 EJ20t swaps into GC/GF/BD/BG subarus), anything in between is a waste of time and money.

 

 

 

if you're looking into EJ20Gs, look up Garage Tuning or East Coast Swappers, both can easily be found on RS25. they're probably your best source, as you'll be sure to get everything you need (they do subaru swaps....they'll know exactly what you need).

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Not to hijack the thread, or anything like that...

 

How about keeping the dual range AWD trans in the RX and stuff an EJ20 w/ an adaptor in front of it? I'm contemplating this myself, supposedly the 5spd D/R AWD will take the power.. any real world experience?

 

another thing to consider is fabrication of basically the entire suspension if you put the WRX powertrain into the RX. Never done it, dont know how much effort is involved, but something to consider, will the rear subframe fit, how will the struts bolt up, etc..

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Not to hijack the thread, or anything like that...

 

How about keeping the dual range AWD trans in the RX and stuff an EJ20 w/ an adaptor in front of it? I'm contemplating this myself, supposedly the 5spd D/R AWD will take the power.. any real world experience?

 

another thing to consider is fabrication of basically the entire suspension if you put the WRX powertrain into the RX. Never done it, dont know how much effort is involved, but something to consider, will the rear subframe fit, how will the struts bolt up, etc..

 

key word: supposedly. I don't think anyone's really pushed the EA82 trannies that hard. There's one member here that's got an STi EJ257 with a PT4WD D/R trans, but he hasn't posted enough about how well it's held up, and now the car is for sale.

 

But, reddevil (search any subaru forum......) was putting out about 300awhp on his stock '90 legacy 5MT. which has similar internals. something that he says probably helped is stock rotating mass, don't get lightweight pulleys or flywheel.

 

 

 

as for the rear suspension. seriously don't bother. the suspension design changed SOOOOOO much from the EA82 stuff to EJ. the amount of fabrication would be insane. you'd be better off building an Ariel Atom from scratch :lol: it's been discussed in detail before, search around the retrofitting section for some of the more extreme swap threads. you can use the WRX front stuff, and the rear brakes can be modified to bolt up the EA82 trailing arms. and the stuff that WJM discovered and subardave documented about using Tein Flex coilovers for a new legacy on an EA82. and I've found about using Miata stuff for KYB AGXs. there are all kinds of options. but it's not for the faint of heart!

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Your EA clutch, even with kevlar facing and HD pressure plate, would probably die before the transmission. Only one way to find out, though... good luck :cool:

 

almost done rebuilding my EJ22T. Going into an RX FT4WD D/R tranny.

 

pull up a seat, pop a cool one and get the popcorn out....

 

it's either :burnout::banana:

or :dead: :-\

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